Guys' Night Out
by KitKat816
Summary: What happens when you take a Spirit of Winter, A viking runt, a child genius and a thief and give them a boy's night out to watch their movies? Let's find out! Adopted from Arwen Eledel, Summary may change
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Notes Mk 2:_**

Hi! I'm KitKat816 and I've adopted this story from Arwen Eledel. For those of you who were following this when she was writing, I hope I can do this story justice.

For those who are new to it, check out her stories!

Right now, it's late where I am and I've got a sore throat and killer headache, so I've only managed to sort the first three chapters on my computer which has now decided not to upload the other chapters :P , I'll set up and upload the rest tomorrow hopefully but 'till then – enjoy!

KitKat816

xx

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Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD, ROTG, BH6 or Tangled, I don't even own this awesome idea, ( D.: ) it's adopted from Arwen Eledel.

Chapter 1: For the Falling and the Shrugging

A loud _oomph_ was heard in the fancy little movie theatre followed by a "Oh, the gods hate me…" A scrawny figure was sitting on the floor a little disoriented, having just appeared out of thin air. But before it had the chance to get up, another scrawny figure popped out of nowhere and found itself on top of the first one.

A few seconds of shocked silence were followed by loud yelling and from the ceiling fell a third figure, not at all scrawny. It hit the floor and cried out, then grumbled: "Dreaming of falling – typical!" Before the scrawny figures had the chance to react, a blast of wind opened the double doors and a forth figure was all but kicked inside.

"Seriously?!" it whined. And that's when it noticed the other three.

The four figures were silent for a bit, each taking in the appearance of the others. Then the one that had appeared first ventured: "I'll take a guess and assume you too don't know how we got here."

A round of nods later the other scrawny figure suggested: "We might as well introduce each other… I'm Hiro, Hiro Hamada."

"My name's Hiccup." And he offered a hand to Hiro to shake.

The third figure snickered. "What kind of name is Hiccup?"

"Yeah, I was wondering myself." Hiro added. Hiccup sighed and was just about to answer when he was interrupted.

"No, don't say it, wait!" They turned towards the voice and saw a girl with waist-long brown… You know, nobody really cares what she looks like. So, they saw a girl that was jumping up and down. "Please, do me a favor, Hiccup, I want them to hear for themselves!" As if noticing their looks just now, she continued: "Oh, don't mind me, go on, I'll introduce myself later, go on."

"Uh, okay…" Hiro drawled and turned to the others. "Who are you anyways?"

The third figure smirked. "The name's Flynn Rider."

"Never heard of you." the black-haired boy deadpanned and turned to the forth. "And you?" No reaction.

"Um…" Hiccup unsurely nudged the last boy but instead of answering he froze (pun intended).

"Wait, can-can you – can you see me?" he asked half-perplexed, half-amazed. The other three nodded with strange looks and, much to their dismay, the white-haired boy cried in happiness and jumped, flipping in the air and laughing joyfully. "This – this is amazing!" he exclaimed once his feet were on solid ground again and grinned at the three in front of him.

"Uh, okay, who's he and why's it such a big deal that we can see him?" Flynn asked perplexed, turning to the girl (who was still jumping up and down – what was _wrong_ with her?).

"This," she accompanied the words with a fancy hand gesture, "is Jack Frost – the spirit of winter an-"

"Sis!" came a cry from (seemingly) nowhere. A moment later they were in the company of another girl-with-waist-long-brown-you-know-nobody-really-cares-what-she-lookes-like-either that marched to the first one.

"What, what'd I do?"

The new girl raised an eyebrow. "You were going to spoil it for them – and after you stopped Hiccup from doing it."

Something dawned on the first one's face. "Oh. Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, guys," she turned to the four boys, "I don't usually reveal spoilers like that! Anyway, back to the point – it's 'such a big deal', Flynn, because – as a spirit – Jack can only be seen by people who believe in him." Three mouths formed an understanding 'o'. "And I think it's high time I introduced myself." The new girl faked a cough and the first one sighed dejectedly. "… And to tell you why I all but kidnapped you. There, you happy?"

The other girl nodded. "Extremely."

"Cool. So, nice to meet you, guys, my name's Arwen Eledel, Arwen for short, and this here is my sister – Tauriel Lalaitiel, or just Tauriel. She'll be keeping me under control if I get too fan-girly or enter spoiler-territory. Now, about why – and how – I brought you here. You see, the thing is – you're not _actually_ here. What happened is this – you fell asleep and I took you inside this special dream, easy-peasy."

"To be perfectly honest with you, boys, only Flynn was properly asleep when she took you." Tauriel interrupted. "Arwen borrowed a bit of dream sand to send Hiccup and Hiro to La-la land and Jack… well, I'm not entirely sure _how exactly_ she brought him here, I mean, he _was_ kicked in here by the wind."

"A whirlwind appeared out of the blue and the next thing I knew I was staring at these three." Jack supplied.

Tauriel nodded at him. "Right. So, as this is a mere dream, it's possible you wouldn't remember anything from what happened here." ( _Oh, they're bound to forget it. Eh, they'll remember… eventually,_ she thought to herself with a grin.)

"So, "Arwen picked up the line, "as to why I brought you here, well – I wanted to grant you a guys' night out! You know, going to the cinema with friends and watching movies. Cinema is this room here and a movie is a story of moving pictures for Hiccup and Flynn." she added before they'd had the chance to ask. "Tauriel and I won't be in here in order not to bother you too much. Oh, who am I kidding, we'll turn up from time to time." And she grinned. "Okay, we'll leave you to it! Have fun!"

Than the two sisters walked out of the room. A second later, though, Arwen's head popped through the still open door. "Did I mention the movies are about you? Ah well, guess you'd know already in either case." With that she closed the door again.

The four boys looked at each other confused, then shrugged simultaneously and made their way to the front roll of seats. Hiro and Jack were on either side of Hiccup and Flynn sat himself next to the Winter Spirit. Then, they were ready to begin their unintended, but pleasant (as it turned out) guys' night out.

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 **Original A/N:** **And so the movie marathon begins! I've always wanted to read a fic like this, but since there wasn't any with these particular characters, I made my own.**

 **Just to clarify, Hiccup, Jack, Hiro, Eugene and the movies belong to their rightful owners, i.e. DreamWorks and Disney. As for the scripts, I downloaded the English subtitles for the movies, so these belong to their rightful owners as well. The names Arwen and Tauriel I've borrowed from Tolkien, essentially mine is only the idea and the execution of the fic.**

 **As for updates, they'll be chaotic and without a schedule since I'm writing this "in the spur of the moment", as it were.**

 **And Tauriel says "Hi!" too. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

OMG I literally JUST posted the apology that I wouldn't be able to post for a bit, I try again and IT HONKIN' WORKS?! Trust my cruddy luck's awful sense of timing :P . Anyways, hope you enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Just look at the first chapter coz I'm not writing it out again… :P

Chapter 2: Just not for the faint of heart

* * *

 **FADE IN:**

 **EXT. NORTH SEA/VILLAGE - NIGHT**

 **We skim above a dark, wild ocean. The camera turns toward a lone island, Berk. It is a gigantic shard of rock jutting straight out of the water.**

"That's Berk!" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise.

Flynn looked at him. "Uh, what's Berk?"

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **This, is Berk. It's twelve days North of hopeless, and a few degrees South of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery.**

"Sounds pleasant…" Hiro commented, making the others snicker.

 **The camera drifts over rolling hills to reveal a small village nestled on an outcropping of seamounts.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **My village. In a word, sturdy. And it's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new.**

 **The camera drifts closer, circling.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests.**

 **Sheep graze peacefully on a hillside. Suddenly one is snatched.**

"What the…" Jack jumped shocked.

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **You see, most places have mice or mosquitos. We have...**

 **CUT TO:**

 **INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

 **A door is pulled open... as a DRAGON swoops directly toward it, BLASTING FIRE. The door is SLAMMED. The fire shoots through the slats of wood, illuminating HICCUP, a gangly teenage Viking.**

 **HICCUP**

 **...Dragons.**

"DRAGONS?!" The three guys turned their shocked eyes towards the scrawny Viking. Who shrugged. _Shrugged!_

 **EXT. STOICK'S HOUSE**

 **He reopens the sizzling door, as leaps off of the front porch. He weaves through the erupting mayhem as Vikings pour out of the buildings, ready for a fight. More dragons swarm in, setting rooftops alight and hauling off sheep.**

"Why do you still live there?" Flynn asked incredulous.

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness**

 **issues.**

"Way to put it!" Jack chuckled. Hiccup grinned at him.

"Eh, at least one of you guys is warming up to the idea of getting dragon raids every other night." Hiro and Flynn huffed indignantly.

 **Vikings sound the alarm. Viking men and women pour out into the streets, axes in hand.**

 **ON HICCUP darting through alleys, staying under eaves, making his way through the battle.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls.**

The three raised their eyebrows unbelievingly.

 **Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.**

 **Dragons sweep back and forth, dodging axes and blasting the**

 **Vikings who throw them. A burly warrior gets tossed in an**

 **explosion, knocking Hiccup to the ground.**

 **VIKING**

 **(FIERCE) Arggghhhhh! (cheery, insane) Mornin'!**

"Uh… Okay?" Hiro drawled.

 **Hiccup gets to his feet and continues to rush past gigantic**

 **men and women.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Meet the neighbors. Hoark the** **Haggard...**

 **HOARK**

 **What are you doing out!?**

 **HICCUP**

 **... Burnthair the Broad...**

 **BURNTHAIR**

 **Get inside!**

 **HICCUP**

 **... Phlegma the Fierce...**

 **PHLEGMA**

 **Get back inside!**

 **HICCUP**

 **… Ack.**

 **He passes a silent ox of a viking, picking his ear.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yep, just Ack.**

 **Enter STOICK, the biggest Viking of all. He yanks Hiccup from**

 **the path of a strafing dragon and holds aloft to the crowd.**

All four of them yelped in sync with on-screen Hiccup.

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup!? (accusingly; to the crowd) What is he doing out a- (TO HICCUP) What are you doing out?! Get inside!**

 **The flames light up his scowling face and matted red beard. He sets Hiccup down and turns to the sky, searching.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **(IN AWE) That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clean off of its shoulders. Do I believe it?**

 **Stoick grabs a wooden cart and hurls it, knocking the**

 **strafing dragon out of the sky.**

"Wow…" Jack drawled.

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Yes I do.**

"Well, I would too!" Flynn shook his head in disbelief, Jack and Hiro nodded stunned.

 **An EXPLOSION forces Vikings to DUCK. Stoick stands firm, brushing flaming debris off of his shoulder.**

 **STOICK**

 **(barking; to his men) What have we got?**

 **VIKING #1**

 **Gronkles. Nadders. Zipplebacks. Oh, and Hoark saw a Monstrous Nightmare.**

 **STOICK**

 **Any Night Furies?**

 **VIKING #1**

 **None so far.**

 **STOICK**

 **(RELIEVED) Good.**

"Those are… kinds of dragons?" Hiro asked Hiccup, who'd mainly kept quiet until now. The boy nodded.

"I've a feeling movie-me will explain about them…"

 **VIKING**

 **Hoist the torches!**

 **Massive flaming braziers are raised on poles, lighting up the night sky... and revealing swirling dragons of all types. Below, Hiccup crosses an open plaza and ducks into an open building with a tall chimney.**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **He crosses behind a counter, where a peg-legged, one-armed hulk of a Blacksmith reshapes blades with a hammer and tongs appendage.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off.**

 **Hiccup dons a leather apron and starts to put away Gobber's scattered appendages.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Who me? Nah, come on! I'm waaay too muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this.**

 **Hiccup strikes a bodybuilder pose.**

The boys snickered. "You serious?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

 **GOBBER**

 **They need toothpicks, don't they?**

 **Hiccup gets to work, transferring bent and chipped weapons to the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well...littler.**

Hiro watched in interest the interactions in the forge – it wasn't every day that you get to see engineering and metalworking from a dozen centuries ago.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - CONTINUOUS**

 **ON STOICK**

 **STOICK**

 **We move to the lower defenses. We'll counter-attack with the catapults.**

 **Armed men rush past, flanking others who carry sheep to safety. Stoick follows up the rear as, overhead, a dragon strafes the rooftops with Napalm-like fire.**

"Uh…" Flynn looked unsure at Hiccup, but he didn't seem fazed by the fire.

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **See? Old village. Lots and lots of new houses.**

"So that's normal." Flynn stated disbelievingly, shaking his head. Man, these Vikings surely had it interesting…

 **VIKING**

 **FIRE!**

 **In response, the fire brigade charges through the plaza - four TEENS, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it, they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among them is a cute, energetic Viking girl. Hiccup leans out of the stall to watch her.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Oh and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And…**

"More funny names… Ya know, Hiccup really isn't that bad." Jack decided.

 **(DREAMY) Astrid.**

 **A SLOW-MOTION explosion erupts behind her, framing her in a sexy ball of fire. The others join her, looking awesome and heroic.**

Three heads turned to Hiccup – one questioning, two – with teasing smirks. The Viking just ducked his head, choosing to ignore the looks the two older boys were sharing.

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Their job is so much cooler.**

 **Hiccup tries to join them as they pass, but he's hooked by Gobber and hoisted back inside.**

"Nope." Jack stated, followed by Hiro.

"Nu-uh."

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PLEADING) Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, you've made plenty of marks. All in the wrong places.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon. My life will get infinitely better.**

The three raised their eyebrows again. _Infinitely_ better?

 **I might even get a date.**

 **GOBBER**

 **You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe...**

 **Gobber grabs a bola (iron balls connected by rope).**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **... You can't even throw one of these.**

 **A Viking runs by and nabs it out of Gobber's hand, hurling it at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending it into a heavy crash.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(ready with the answer) Okay fine, but...**

 **He rushes to the back corner of the stall and presents a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... This will throw it for me.**

 **Hiccup OPENS the hinged lid of the device. An arm springs up, equipped with twin bows.**

Hiro looked at Hiccup impressed. "Did you make it?" The Viking hesitated…

 **They prematurely launch a bola, narrowly missing Gobber... and taking out a Viking at the counter.**

 **VIKING**

 **Arggh!**

… And sighed. "Unfortunately."

 **GOBBER**

 **See, now this right here is what I'm talking about.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Mild calibration issue…**

Hiro grinned.

 **GOBBER**

 **Hiccup. If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all...**

 **Gobber gestures in Hiccup's general direction.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **... This.**

"That's harsh!" Jack declared with a note of sympathy.

 **HICCUP**

 **(ASTONISHED) But... you just gestured to all of me!**

 **GOBBER**

 **Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you.**

A spark of sympathy entered Flynn's eyes.

 **HICCUP**

 **(THREATENING) Ohhhh...**

 **GOBBER**

 **(MIMICKING) Ohhhhh, yes.**

 **HICCUP**

 **You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw...Viking-ness contained. (BEAT) There will be consequences!**

 **Gobber tosses him a sword.**

 **GOBBER**

 **I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now.**

All four of them grunted displeased – again in sync with on-screen Hiccup.

 **Hiccup takes it begrudgingly and lobs it onto the grinding wheel. He stews... fantasizing...**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here.**

Jack, Hiro and Flynn (who'd finally started warming up to the idea of dragons, thank goodness!) looked over at Hiccup, but he was just staring at the screen. None of the three could hear him as he mumbled to himself: "So stupid!..."

 **EXT. VILLAGE - LOWER PLAINS - CONTINUOUS**

 **Nadders land, gathering like seagulls around a seemingly vacant house.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed.**

 **The Nadders clamber onto the building, tearing the roof and walls apart. Sheep pour out and SCATTER. Elsewhere, hippo-like Gronckles pick drying racks clean of fish and fly off like loaded pelicans.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend.**

 **A stealthy, snake-like dragon head peeks over a rooftop, breathing gas into a chimney.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **A Zippelback? Exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status.**

 **A second head pokes through the door and lights it. KABLAM! The two heads fly through the explosion, their necks zipping together to reveal a single body. It flies past Stoick as he climbs to the top of a CATAPULT TOWER.**

"That's a whole lot of dragons…" Hiro drawled impressed.

 **CATAPULT OPERATOR**

 **They found the sheep!**

 **STOICK**

 **(FRUSTRATED) Concentrate fire over the lower bank!**

 **CATAPULT OPERATOR**

 **Fire!**

 **Boulders are catapulted at the corralling Nadders... Just as a huge red dragon whips past, spraying the base of the catapult with sticky fire.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.**

Jack laughed. "Who, the Vikings?" The other three burst out laughing.

 **It emerges from the flames, climbing the catapult with a leering, toothy grin.**

 **STOICK**

 **Reload! I'll take care of this.**

 **Stoick takes on the Nightmare, face to hammer. Suddenly, a LOUD BALLISTIC MOANING streaks overhead. The Monstrous Nightmare suddenly stops fighting and takes flight. Stoick looks skyward.**

" _Why_ did the dragon flee?" Flynn asked anxiously.

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **ON HICCUP, looking up from his work, reacting to the same sound.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the-**

 **VIKING**

 **Night Fury! Get down!**

 **Vikings everywhere take shelter. The moaning sound BUILDS.**

 **EXT. VILLAGE - CATAPULT - CONTINUOUS**

 **STOICK**

 **JUMP!**

 **KABOOM! The Catapult EXPLODES as though hit by an artillery shell... sending Stoick and the crew leaping for their lives.**

The three boys ducked for a moment when the blast hit the tower. Doing so, none of them noticed either the dragon's silhouette or the small smile on Hiccup's face.

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **This thing never steals food, never shows itself, and…**

 **The sound recedes, leaving the crippled catapult in flames.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **...Never misses.**

The three were gaping astonished.

 **(BEAT) No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first.**

Snickers were heard from (quite surprisingly) all four of the boys. "Flawless logic… No offence, buddy…" Hiro laughed patting Hiccup's shoulder.

 **IN THE STALL**

 **Gobber trades his hammer for an axe.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there!**

 **Gobber pauses. Turns with a threatening glare.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Stay. Put. There.**

Jack rolled his eyes. "Like it's gonna work."

 **You know what I mean.**

"Nu-uh." Flynn and Hiccup stated simultaneously.

 **Gobber charges into the fray, HOLLERING. ON HICCUP, a smirk crosses his face.**

 **EXT. VILLAGE - MOMENTS LATER**

 **WHAM! Hiccup pushes his wheeled contraption through a wall of clustered Vikings. He weaves through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as his legs can carry him.**

"Called it!" Jack grinned.

 **VIKING #6**

 **Hiccup, where are you going!**

 **VIKING #7**

 **Come back here!**

 **HICCUP**

 **I know. Be right back!**

 **ON THE PLAIN BELOW**

 **The Nadders have cornered the house-full of sheep. They close in, ready to spring upon them. Stoick suddenly appears, HURLING FISHING NETS over them. The surprised Nadders are caught. Stoick and his men rush in. A Nadder blasts a hole through its net. Stoick leaps onto it, clamping his thick arms around its head, forcing its jaws shut.**

 **STOICK**

 **Mind yourselves! The devils still have some juice in them.**

"Eh, gross." Flynn declared disturbed.

 **ON THE PLAIN ABOVE**

 **Hiccup reaches a cliff overlooking the smoking CATAPULT and drops the handles to the ground. He cranks several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of his contraption. He drops a bola onto a chamber and then pivots the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky.**

Hiro watched in awe Hiccup's tech. "Unbelievable…" he mumbled impressed. Hiccup heard him and grinned proudly.

 **He listens, with his eye pressed to the scope, hand poised on the trigger.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(TO HIMSELF) Come on. Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at.**

 **He hears the NIGHT FURY approaching... and turns his aim to the defense tower. It closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night. KABLAM! The tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the dragon for a split second. Hiccup pulls the trigger. KERTHUNK! The flexed arms SNAP forward, springing the weapon off the ground.**

"You shot with your eyes closed? WHY did you shoot with your _eyes_ CLOSED?!" Flynn screeched incredulous.

 **The bola disappears into the sky, followed by a WHACK and a SCREECH.**

Flynn gaped. "You hit it… Yes, you hit it!"

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(Surprised, then elated) Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it! Did anybody see that?**

 **Hiccup's victory is short-lived. A Monstrous Nightmare appears, slithering up over the lip of the cliff.**

"Oh, man…" Jack face palmed.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Except for you.**

"You've got nerve…" Hiro stated impressed.

 **ON STOICK, holding down the netted Nadders. He hears a familiar HOLLER and looks up to see... HICCUP running through the PLAZA, SCREAMING, with the NIGHTMARE fast on his heels.**

Hiro stared. "Uh, I take it back." Hiccup rolled his eyes at him, mumbling to himself.

"Well, _excuse me_ for running away from almost certain death"

 **Alarmed, Stoick abandons the Nadders and runs off.**

 **STOICK**

 **(To his men, re: the NADDERS) DO NOT let them escape!**

 **IN THE PLAZA**

 **Vikings scatter as Hiccup dodges a near fatal blast. The Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire plashes up onto buildings, setting them alight. Hiccup ducks behind the last standing brazier - the only shelter available. The Nightmare blasts it, spraying fire all around him.**

The boys jumped back in their seats.

 **Hiccup peers around the smoldering post. No sign of the Nightmare. He turns back to find it leering at him, blocking his escape. It takes a deep breath. Hiccup is finished. Suddenly, Stoick LEAPS between them, tackling the Nightmare to the ground. They tumble and wrestle, resuming their earlier fight. The Nightmare tries to toast him, but only coughs up smoke.**

"Is that even possible?" Hiro asked.

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You're all out.**

"Well, dragons ha-" Hiccup's explanation was cut by a loud "Shhhhh!" The four boys jumped, turning around – just in time to see Arwen who was disappearing in the shadows in the back of the theater.

He smashes the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it away. It takes to the air and disappears. Winded, Stoick turns to Hiccup.

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...**

"Dragon knowledge?" Hiro suggested.

"Viking knowledge?" Jack piped up.

 **The burnt brazier pole collapses, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying as it goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down the netted Nadders. Hiccup winces with each disastrous sound.**

All four boys winced in sync with him.

The freed dragons escape... with several sheep in tow.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Sorry, dad.**

"THAT'S YOUR _FATHER?!_ " Jack, Hiro and Flynn yelled as one, turning to Hiccup.

* * *

 **Original A/N: Hooray, one more chapter! This one is specially for bruno14 who wanted another. :D **

**So, as you have noticed, I've abandoned the subs and went for the original script. Seriously, TOO MUCH WORK! However, you'll get to know my writing style concerning description of actions when we get to watch Tangled and BH6 - since there are no scripts for these things! Ugh!**

 **Yeah, I'm weird when it's so late. Also - Tauriel was _exceptionally_ irritating this chapter and I really do hope it turned out good; else I'll probably just strangle her. **

**_*Tauriel appears from behind the corner* Hi there... Uh, yeah, please save me and tell her it's good... please! Thanks, love you! 3_**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: can be found in the first chapter

Chapter 3: Haven't any of you ever had a dream?

* * *

"Man, my sympathy…" Flynn shook his head.

"But… I thought the forger – Gobber? – was your father!" Hiro wondered. Jack, however, was positively incredulous.

"How can you possibly be related to that hulk of a person? I mean, no offence, but he's… and you're… Uh, that sounded bad."

"No, don't worry, I stopped taking anything personally long ago." Hiccup assured. "Now we can get back to the movie, huh?" The others nodded.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - UPPER PLAZA - CONTINUOUS**

 **The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches. The raid is over. The dragons have clearly won. The murmuring crowd eyes Stoick, awaiting his response.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(SHEEPISH) Okay, but I hit a Night Fury.**

Hiccup himself face-palmed. " _That_ was a bad idea!"

 **Stoick grabs Hiccup by the back scruff of his collar and hauls him away, fuming with embarrassment.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D) It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it.**

The boys raised their eyebrows – _the last few times_? Meanwhile, Hiccup face-palmed (not from embarrassment as the other three thought).

 **You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-**

 **STOICK**

 **-STOP! Just... stop.**

 **He releases Hiccup. Everyone goes silent, staring expectantly.**

So did the boys, and with no little concern. Well, not Hiccup himself anyway, he determinedly stared at the floor.

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!**

 **Hiccup looks around. All eyes are upon him.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?**

 **A few rotund Vikings stir self-consciously.**

The three had opened their mouths for sympathetic comments, but a few chuckles escaped. This particular Viking was big on sarcasm for sure…

 **STOICK**

 **This isn't a joke, Hiccup! (EXASPERATED) Why can't you follow the simplest orders?**

 **HICCUP**

 **I can't stop myself. I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad.**

(To be perfectly honest, this scared them a bit. But the look on the _actual_ Hiccup's face gave the three hope.)

 **STOICK**

 **You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them.**

 **Sting. Hiccup looks around to see many nods of agreement.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Get back to the house. (TO GOBBER) Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up.**

 **Stoick lumbers off in the opposite direction. Gobber leads Hiccup through the walk of shame. They pass the teen fire brigade as they snicker.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Quite the performance.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!**

Cue displeased grunts. The Viking, however, looked up at the screen again. Sure, these things were painful, but he'd gladly give everything to return to being nobody if that meant keeping Toothless safe.

 **HICCUP**

 **Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so...**

 **Hiccup avoids Astrid's glare and heads up toward a large house, standing prominently on the hill above the others.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I really did hit one.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Sure, Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **He never listens.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, it runs in the family.**

"Gotta agree here…" Flynn mumbled to himself.

 **HICCUP**

 **And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich. (MIMICKING STOICK) Excuse me, barmaid.**

The three's jaws dropped.

 **I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone.**

 **His voice wavers at the end.**

Jack nudged the downcast Hiccup. "No, you're thinking about this all wrong…"

 **GOBBER**

 **You're thinking about this all wrong.**

"That's what I said!"

 **It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand.**

"That's _not_ what I said!" The others snickered despite themselves.

 **HICCUP**

 **Thank you, for summing that up.**

 **They reach the doorway.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not.**

 **Hiccup SIGHS heavily.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I just want to be one of you guys.**

 **Gobber eyes him sympathetically. Hiccup turns and goes through the front door.**

Flynn leaned past Jack. "Oh, Hiccup, this is so-"

 **And straight out the back door.**

"-aaand there he goes again."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "You know, I get what Gobber and your father meant with 'stay put'."

 **He hurries off into the woods, determined.**

 **INT. GREAT HALL - DAY**

 **A noisy din of PROTESTING VOICES leads to... STOICK, glowering in the firelight. Surrounded by his men.**

 **STOICK**

 **Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home.**

 **He sinks his blade into a LARGE NAUTICAL MAP, spread out on the table... the blade**

 **pierces the middle of an uncharted corner, swirling with painted sea monsters and dragons.**

"Is this all of your geographical knowledge?" Hiro asked but Hiccup waved him off.

"Later, I want to see the meeting." The black-haired boy blinked.

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't there."

"Oh."

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **(DECIDEDLY) One more search. Before the ice sets in.**

 **VIKING**

 **Those ships never come back.**

 **STOICK**

 **(MATTER-OF-FACT) We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?**

 **Stoick throws up his fist. No one follows. The crowd shifts in restless silence. Head scratches. Eyes averted.**

Jack smirked, then announced in a singsong voice: "Heh, awkward!"

 **VIKING**

 **(FEEBLE) Today's not good for me.**

 **VIKING (CONT'D)**

 **(EQUALLY FEEBLE) I've gotta do my axe returns.**

Cue snorts and eye rolls.

 **STOICK**

 **Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup.**

 **Hands jut into the air, volunteers galore.**

Hiccup's jaw dropped, he only managed an offended "Huh?!"

Flynn scoffed angrily. "Oh, now they're just being mean."

 **Enthusiastic murmurs of prep and packing fill the room.**

 **PHLEGMA THE FIERCE**

 **To the ships!**

 **SPITELOUT**

 **I'm with you Stoick!**

 **STOICK**

 **(DRY) That's more like it.**

"That's more like it…" one of the boys muttered to himself but it couldn't be determined which one exactly.

 **The Vikings rush for the door, leaving Gobber and Stoick alone. Gobber gulps back the contents of his tankard attachment and scrapes back the bench.**

 **GOBBER**

 **I'll pack my undies.**

 **STOICK**

 **No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself...what could possibly go wrong?**

Hiccup threw his hands in the air exasperated. " _What_ is _wrong_ with you people!"

 **Stoick sinks onto the bench beside Gobber, his brow burdened.**

 **STOICK**

 **What am I going to do with him Gobber?**

"Train him with the others." Hiro suggested practically.

 **GOBBER**

 **Put him in training with the others.**

"There you go."

 **STOICK**

 **No, I'm serious.**

 **GOBBER**

 **So am I.**

 **Stoick turns to him, glaring.**

 **STOICK**

 **He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage.**

"Gods, thanks."

Hiro patted the displeased brunette's shoulder.

 **GOBBER**

 **Oh, you don't know that.**

 **STOICK**

 **I do know that, actually.**

 **GOBBER**

 **No, you don't.**

 **STOICK**

 **No, actually I do.**

 **GOBBER**

 **No you don't!**

 **STOICK**

 **Listen! You know what he's like. From the time he could crawl he's been...different.**

Cue eyerolls.

 **He doesn't listen. Has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him fishing and he goes hunting for... for trolls.**

The three turned to the Viking. "What?!"

He raised his hands defensively. "Blame Gobber!"

 **GOBBER**

 **(DEFENSIVE) Trolls exist! They steal your socks. (DARKLY) But only the left ones. What's with that?**

 **STOICK**

 **When I was a boy...**

The four huffed as one and grumbled simultaneously. "Here we go."

 **GOBBER**

 **(GRUMBLING) Oh here we go.**

Cue snickers.

 **STOICK**

 **My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?**

"You got a headache." They spoke together again.

 **GOBBER**

 **You got a headache.**

Now it was full-on laughing.

"You should know that he's one of the best people I've ever met!" Flynn managed in-between snorts.

"Yeah!" Jack agreed, then an idea hit him. "Um, Arwen? Tauriel?" he called to the ceiling. Two heads popped from behind their seats making them jump.

"You called?" Arwen grinned at them, her sister mirroring her expression.

She then added: "You were right, being stalker-ish is so much fun!"

"I know, right! Anyway, what can I do for you, Jack?"

A little put off by the 'stalker-ish' comment, the Guardian asked: "Can't this Gobber join us or something?

Arwen's grin grew. "This is one of the bes-"

"No." Tauriel cut her.

"Why?" her sister whined. Tauriel shot her a look, then directed her attention to the boys again.

"Sorry, no can do, guys, we can't afford to deal with sarcasm overload. Keep watching."

Then the two sisters exited the room; faint arguing still could be heard. ("But it will be-" "No." "But-" " _No_ , sis." "But-" " _No!_ ")

"Bummer." Hiro grumbled and un-paused the movie with the remote that had unexplainably appeared.

 **STOICK**

 **That rock split in two.**

Their jaws dropped.

 **It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become. (BEAT) Hiccup is not that boy.**

 **GOBBER**

 **You can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him. (BEAT) Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there now.**

"Oh, you have no idea." Flynn laughed.

 **ON STOICK, as Gobber's words hit their mark.**

 **EXT. WOODS - DAY**

 **ON AN OPEN NOTEBOOK**

 **A drawn map of the island, covered in X's. Hiccup looks up from it and peeks over a gorge, expectantly. Sees nothing. He adds another 'X' to the page, then scratches his pencil over the whole map in frustration.**

"Hey, you're a leftie!" Flynn suddenly exclaimed, "So am I!"

Hiccup grinned at him.

 **He snaps the book closed and pockets it.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Uggh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon.**

All four boys snickered. Honestly…

 **Hiccup WHACKS a low-hanging branch. It SNAPS back at him, hitting him in the face.**

"Ouch!" they winced collectively. But Jack still snickered.

 **He looks up to see a snapped tree trunk. His eyes follow it to a long trench of up-turned earth.**

A collective "Wow…" was heard.

 **He follows it to a downed, black dragon,**

"AH!" three voices yelled surprised. As for the off-screen Hiccup, he drew a sharp intake of breath.

 **Its body and tail are tangled in a bola. It appears dead. Hiccup approaches, beaming.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(IN SHOCK) Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything. (ELATED) Yes!**

 **He strikes a victory pose, planting his foot on the fallen Night Fury.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I have brought down this mighty beast!**

 **It suddenly shifts.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Whoa!**

"AH!" the three yelled. Again.

 **Hiccup springs back, terrified. He turns his blade on it. Rattled, Hiccup creeps along the length of the weak, wounded dragon, dagger poised to strike. As he reaches the head, Hiccup finds the Night Fury staring coldly at him.**

All four of them jumped a little. "Oh my…" they drew in awe.

 **Hiccup tries to look away, but he's drawn back to its unnerving, unflinching stare. With the dragon safety tangled in the ropes, Hiccup jabs with his dagger, puffing himself up with false bravado.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I'm going to kill you, Dragon.**

 _No_ , the three boys thought, _don't!_

 **I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a Viking. (BEAT) I am a VIKING!**

They jumped a bit.

 **Hiccup raises the dagger, determined to prove his Viking-ness. The dragon's labored breathing breaks Hiccup's clenched concentration. He opens an eye, uncertainty leaking through. The dragon holds the stare. Something profound is exchanged. Finally, the Night Fury closes its eye and lowers its head, resigned to its fate. Hiccup tries to go through with it, holding the dagger aloft...**

The three averted their eyes – none of them wanted to witness the dragon's death. This might've been a glorious moment for Hiccup, but they wouldn't watch. They shied away from him.

 **fighting himself... until finally lowering it with a frustrated sigh.**

Three pairs of eyes shot back up to the screen.

 **He looks over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(Muttered, ashamed) I did this.**

 **He turns to leave. Pauses. And glances back at the dragon, chest heaving. Hiccup GRUMBLES. He checks over his shoulder to ensure that no one is watching... then hurries back to cut the ropes.**

"Ha-ha, that's my guy!" Flynn yelled in glee.

 **The Night Fury's eye shoots open. With the dragon watching his every move, Hiccup hurriedly saws through the bola ropes. As the last rope falls free, the Night Fury suddenly POUNCES!**

"AH!" they all yelled. AGAIN.

 **In a blur, the dragon is upon him, pinning Hiccup down, grazing his neck. Looking like it's about to kill him. Hiccup is paralyzed. The dragon's breath ruffles his hair. Hiccup opens his eyes to find the Night Fury's wolf-like stare boring into him.**

 _Wow_ , the three thought in awe.

 **The exchange is intense, profound. The dragon draws a deep breath, as though it's about to torch him, then lets out an ear-piercing scream instead. It turns and takes flight, flapping violently through the canopy of trees. It bashes against a nearby mountainside, recovers, and drops out of view some distance away.**

The four let out relieved sighs. Hiro though squinted at the dragon. Something was off about it…

 **Winded, Hiccup struggles to his feet, staggers a few steps, collapses to his knees, and faints.**

* * *

 **Original A/N:** **There, one more chapter – this one specially for PFT3000.**

 **Now don't kill me… This was actually ready Thursday evening. Sorry.**

 **Just so that people stop asking me, I'm not planning on abandoning this story until all four boys are back where they belong; it's just that the updates will be sporadic and chaotic.**

 **Tauriel's a bit sick so she's just waving from across the room.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: is in the first chapter

Chapter 4: You can be... _way_ more

* * *

A dozen seconds of silence had reigned over the room when Flynn finally piped up: "Okay, what in the name of all self-respecting thieve- I mean people happened now?"

"Yeah, that dragon looked just about ready to roast you alive!" Hiro added turning to the older boy who looked strangely **[** **Original A/N:** **but not for you, dearest readers]** uncomfortable but happy at the same time. He looked around nervously but Jack helped him out of answering.

"No, let me guess, DON'T TELL THEM HICCUP IT WILL RUIN THE MOVIE!" He shouted the last bit to the ceiling.

"Oh, would you look at that Tauriel!" A bodiless voice spoke, "Jack's starting to catch up! What if he figures out why I brought the four of them here?"

"He won't," the other girl's voice answered, "if for the sole reason that you yourself don't know. Seriously, who brings four random people to a movie theater to watch their own fate for absolutely no reason at all?"

"That's your elder sister to you! Anyway, don't listen to us and get on with the movie, boys!" The four looked at each other, shrugged and turned to the screen where the film continued, magically and unexplainably un-pausing itself.

 **INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup enters to see... STOICK, seated on a thick slice of tree-trunk. He is slouched over the fire-pit, stirring the coals with his axe. Embers waft around his beard. Hiccup tries to sneak past, up the stairs to his room. Stoick seems none the wiser, when...**

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(CAUGHT) Dad. Uh...**

 **Stoick stands, takes a deep breath.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I, uh... I have to talk to you, Dad.**

 **STOICK**

 **I need to speak with you too, son.**

"Uh-oh…" Flynn drawled.

 **Hiccup and Stoick STRAIGHTEN at the same moment.**

 ** _HICCUP_** **STOICK**

 ** _I've decided I don't want to_** **I think it's time you learn**

 ** _fight dragons_** **.** **to fight dragons.**

 ** _(BEAT)_** **(BEAT)**

 ** _What?_** **What?**

Hiccup groaned, hiding his face in his hands. Hiro and Jack chuckled while Flynn tried to produce a low whistle but he was distracted by the other two and who can whistle while he's trying not to laugh anyway? So he just gave up and joined in the other two's laughter most of which he had caused. Even the corners of the Viking's mouth jerked upwards.

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You go first.**

 **HICCUP**

 **No, you go first.**

 **STOICK**

 **Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning.**

"Aw, man…" Hiccup groaned in unison with Hiro who then snickered and called: "Jinx!"

 **HICCUP**

 **(SCRAMBLING) Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings—**

They raised their eyebrows. Even Hiccup did. Briefly.

 **STOICK**

 **-You'll need this.**

 **Stoick hands Hiccup his axe. Hiccup avoids taking it.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I don't want to fight dragons.**

 **STOICK**

 **Come on. Yes, you do.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Rephrase. Dad I can't kill dragons.**

"Yep, we all saw that – and thank Manny you can't…" Jack muttered to himself.

 **STOICK**

 **But you will kill dragons.**

 **HICCUP**

 **No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't.**

 **STOICK**

 **It's time Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Can you not hear me?**

 **STOICK**

 **This is serious son!**

The three jumped slightly. Hiccup looked away with a huff.

 **Stoick forces the axe into Hiccup's hands. Its weight drags him down. He looks up to see Stoick under-lit with firelight.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **When you carry this axe... you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us.**

"What, please?" Hiro asked, indignant on Hiccup's behalf.

 **No more of... (GESTURING NON-specifically at Hiccup) ... this.**

The three boys furrowed their eyebrows in anger. "One time's relatively fine, but this is just too much." Flynn grumbled, voicing all of the three's thoughts. Hiccup still didn't look up at the screen.

 **HICCUP**

 **You just gestured to all of me.**

 **STOICK**

 **Deal?**

 **HICCUP**

 **This conversation is feeling very one-sided.**

 **STOICK**

 **DEAL?!**

 **Hiccup glances at the axe in his hands. It's a no-win argument.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(RESIGNED) Deal.**

 **Satisfied, Stoick grabs his helmet and duffel bag... and heads for the door.**

 **STOICK**

 **Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably.**

 **HICCUP**

 **And I'll be here. Maybe.**

 **Stoick heads out the door, leaving Hiccup holding the axe.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast stone arena.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Welcome to dragon training!**

 **ASTRID**

 **No turning back.**

Jack snorted. "No kidding, Goldie?" Flynn eyed him with a weirded-out expression.

 **The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena floor. They take it in like gladiators entering the coliseum. The walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of blasted Vikings. It's a grim yet awe-inspiring place.**

"Wow…" Hiro drawled.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **I hope I get some serious burns.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it.**

Jack stared. "I kinda like them. Dunno why though."

"This is wrong in so many ways…" Flynn stated, shaking his head. Hiro turned to look at Hiccup.

"Where are you then?"

"Uh…"

 **HICCUP (O.S.)**

 **Yeah, no kidding, right?**

"… Right about there."

 **Pain. Love it.**

 **The recruits turn to see Hiccup behind them. Groans all around.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Oh great. Who let him in?**

 **GOBBER**

 **Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon**

Flynn's eyes bulged. "Did he say _kill_?"

"Yep." Three voices answered.

 **in front of the entire village.**

"In front of _the entire village_?!"

"Yep."

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or...?**

 **The recruits LAUGH and chatter in the background.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?**

 **Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him along.**

Jack patted Hiccup's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine."

 **GOBBER**

 **(cheery, in confidence) Don't worry.**

"See, that's what I said!" Jack chirped happily. Hiccup snickered, knowing what his mentor would say.

 **You're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target.**

"That's _not_ what I said!" Jack snapped to the on-screen forger. Now the others were snickering too.

 **They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead.**

"That has absolutely _nothing_ to do with what I said!" the Guardian cried indignantly.

"I know, buddy, I know." Hiccup assured mid-laughter, wiping tears of mirth off his face. The other two didn't say anything. Not that they didn't want to, they just found breathing a little hard right now.

 **GOBBER sticks him in line with the others and continues on toward five massive reinforced doors. Terrible ROARS and BELLOWS issue from within.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight.**

Hiro immediately perked up, almost knocking Hiccup off his seat in the process. The Viking was remotely reminded of Fishlegs' enthusiasm they were about to witness.

 **Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to contain himself.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **The Deadly Nadder.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(Under his breath) Speed eight. Armor sixteen.**

"What?" Hiro laughed surprised. "RPG stats?" **[1]**

 **GOBBER**

 **The Hideous Zippleback.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Plus eleven stealth. Times two.**

 **GOBBER**

 **The Monstrous Nightmare.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Firepower fifteen.**

 **GOBBER**

 **The Terrible Terror.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Attack eight. Venom twelve.**

 **GOBBER**

 **CAN YOU STOP THAT?!**

The four burst out laughing; it took them no less than half a minute to calm down. Luckily, the movie had paused itself. (They had no way of knowing, of course, that the two sisters wielded a remote.)

 **(BEAT) And…The Gronkle.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(Quietly; to himself) Jaw strength, eight.**

 **Gobber pulls a lever, raising the cross beam on the last of the doors.**

"Whoa, what about teaching?" Hiro panicked. Flynn did too.

"Hiccup, please tell me you survived this and we won't witness your death!"

The Viking only offered an awkward smile. Meanwhile, upstairs Arwen and Tauriel were praising with laughter the thief's talent in foreshadowing.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?**

 **GOBBER**

 **I believe in learning on the job.**

"This guy is completely mad." Jack declared in awed tone. Hiccup rolled his eyes fondly.

 **BAM! A GRONCKLE thunders out of its cave, charging into the ring like an irate rhino.**

"Oh, Hiro, that's gonna be interesting for you." Hiccup alerted his neighbor.

 **The recruits scramble in every direction. Except for Ruffnut and Tuffnut who rush toward it, like pumped-up rodeo clowns.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead. Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?**

 **HICCUP**

 **A doctor?**

"Good point." Flynn stated.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Plus five speed?**

"Also good point." Hiro countered.

 **ASTRID**

 **A shield.**

"Best point." Hiccup declared. Jack grinned mischievously.

"Yeah. Because it's the point of… _Astrid_ …" Hiccup deadpanned him.

 **GOBBER**

 **Shields. Go.**

 **The recruit's scramble for shields, finding them scattered around the ring.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield.**

 **Hiccup STRUGGLES to lift his. Gobber helps him and sends him running. Ruff and Tuff stand amidst a dozen shields. But only one has a skull painted on it. They both grab it.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Get your hands off my shield!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **There are like a million shields!**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Take that one; it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers.**

All four of them deadpanned the screen.

 **Ruffnut uses the shield to BASH Tuffnut in the face. He doesn't let go.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **Oops, now this one has blood on it.**

 **The Gronkle takes aim at the distracted twins. Blam! The shield is blasted out of both of their hands. Tuff and Ruff SPIN like tops and go down.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!**

"Two out, four to go!" Jack announced cheerfully.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(DAZED) What?!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(CONFUSED) What?!**

 **The Gronkle scoops up a pile of rocks and SWALLOWS them back. The teens gather on the far side of the ring.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Those shields are good for another thing.**

"Huh?" The gears in Hiro's head began working furiously to figure it out. Flynn, however, was incredulous.

"What would you possibly use a _shield_ for if not to _shield_ yourself?"

 **Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim.**

"I don't get it." Hiro stated. Hiccup cast him a quick look.

"Just wait."

 **The kids scoop up weapons and begin hammering on their shields. The Gronkle shakes its head at the clatter.**

 **GRONCKLE'S POV - the teen's targets become blurry and scrambled. It's working.**

"Wow…" the two younger boys drawled impressed – who'd have known what the sound did to dragons?

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **All dragons have a limited number of shots.**

Hiro snapped his fingers as he figured something out. "That's what happened to the Monstrous Nightmare before, right?" Hiccup grinned at him.

"Very good!"

 **How many does a Gronkle have?**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Five!**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **No, six.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Correct, six. That's one for each of you!**

"Reassuring." Jack declared with no little amount of sarcasm.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **I really don't think my parents WOULD-**

 **BAM! Fishlegs has his shield blasted away.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Fishlegs, out.**

"Three out!" the spirit supplied with a grin.

 **Gobber spots Hiccup hiding from the Gronkle's molten slugs.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup, get in there!**

"Wasn't the whole point of this insanity survival?" Flynn asked aloud. "Cause to me it looks like he's managing just fine!"

 **ON ASTRID bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast. Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **So anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out—**

Eye rolls. Flynn shook his head. "And during training too. Tsk, tsk, boy."

 **She cartwheels out of the way, allowing a shot to shoot past her and hit Snotlout's shield. He's blasted onto his back.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Snotlout! You're done!**

"Only two more!" Jack rubbed his hands, expecting something cool. "But the question is, who's gonna be the last?"

 **Astrid ROLLS to a stop beside Hiccup, who stirs awkwardly, trying to look cool.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(VOICE BREAKING) So, I guess it's just you and me huh?**

"Not gonna happen!" Jack yelled to the on-screen Hiccup. Flynn _tsk-_ ed again.

"Too good to be true."

 **ASTRID**

 **No. Just you.**

 **Astrid ROLLS away. A split-second later a lava slug knocks Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Hiccup is exposed.**

 **GOBBER**

 **One shot left!**

The three were on the edges of their seats by now.

 **Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across the ring. The sudden movement sends the Gronkle chasing after him, leaving Astrid in the clear.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(WORRIED) Hiccup!**

 **The Gronkle drives straight toward Hiccup, pinning him against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail, ready to fire point-blank.**

Jack had frozen (no pun intended… fine, I totally intended it XD) Hiro looked ready to bite his nails.

 **Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronkle's mouth at the last second, causing its head to jerk back and fire against the stone wall above Hiccup's head.**

The three sighed in relief.

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(Rattled, but masking it) And that's six!**

 **Gobber wrestles the irate Gronkle back into his pen.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry.**

"Ah?!" Flynn gasped incredulous.

 **Slam! Lock. Gobber turns to the recruits.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Remember... a dragon will always, (with a stern look to HICCUP) always go for the kill.**

 **He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off. Hiccup looks overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall.**

"Then why didn't the Night Fury?" the three boys asked simultaneously, their heads snapping towards Hiccup.

"That's what I wanted to find out too." They cocked their heads, clearly not understanding. The Viking pointed to the screen where the next scene began unfolding.

 **EXT. WOODS/HIDDEN COVE - DUSK**

 **HICCUP, battered after another disastrous day in the ring. He studies the remnants of the discarded bola... revealing that he's back at the scene of the crime.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(MUTTERED) So...why didn't you?**

 **He drops the bola and presses on in the direction it flew off. He drops into a rocky crevice and follows it to an… ISOLATED COVE complete with a pristine spring pool.**

Cue 'Ooh's and 'Aah's.

 **He scans the high stone walls.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Well this was stupid.**

 **He notices a single black SCALE on the ground.**

"That's one of the Night Fury's scales!" Hiro exclaimed. "Oh, I'd love to study one!"

 **He crouches and picks it up, studying it. SUDDENLY, the NIGHT FURY blasts past him.**

All four jumped one foot in the air – yes, even Hiccup who already knew what had happened.

 **Hiccup recoils, watching the massive beast struggle to climb the walls. It flaps violently, then peels away to a rough landing. The dragon is trapped.**

The watchers stared at the screen in awe with their mouths hanging open (much like on-screen Hiccup was about to do).

 **Hiccup grins, excited to see it again, and slips closer. He watches as the dragon, exhausted and frustrated, leaps into the air, beating its wings furiously. Again and again, it rolls uncontrolled and CRASHES heavily.**

The three furrowed their eyebrows. "It can't fly?" Jack voiced their thoughts. "But it flew so well during that raid…"

"Maybe… it can only fly at night?" Flynn suggested. Hiro shook his head, busy trying to figure it out. That's why he missed the expression of mixed self-disgust and fondness on his neighbor's face.

 **As if remembering to snap a photo, Hiccup pulls a leather-bound book and flips past drawings of weapons to a blank page. He sketches the dragon quickly, desperate to record the image.**

"Hey, you're good!" Hiro praised. Hiccup gave him a small smile. Meanwhile, Flynn shrugged – he was mentally comparing the drawing to these of a certain blonde.

 **The Fury claws at the steep rock walls, trying climb out of the cove. It SLIPS and falls hard, crushing several saplings. The Fury rolls back to his feet and slowly crawls to the water's edge. He spots fish in the shallow water and snaps at them... but comes up empty.**

"So dragons eat fish?" Hiro questioned, but Hiccup was too lost in the memory currently playing on-screen to answer.

 **He lowers his head, looking weakened.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(MUTTERED) Why don't you just...fly away?**

 **ON HICCUP as he spots the problem. He adjusts his drawing, carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail.**

"Oh." The three drawled, comprehending the situation.

 **He accidentally drops the charcoal stick.**

"Pa-pa-pam." Jack hummed with a small smirk.

 **It rolls off of the rock outcropping that hides him from view and bounces into the cove. TINK. TINK. TINK. The Night Fury raises his head, spotting Hiccup. They exchange a profound, unflinching stare.**

"Did that dragon just imitate you?" the Guardian asked Hiccup. He cocked his head to the side – hmm, he hadn't thought it that way…

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. GREAT HALL - NIGHT**

 **A storm is brewing outside. The great doors rattle on their hinges.**

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?**

 **The recruits are seated at a table, eating dinner by the glow of the fire pit.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I mistimed my summersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble.**

 **Eye rolls from the group.**

As well as from the watchers.

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(SARCASTIC) Yeah. We noticed.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **(Grabbing Astrid's hand) No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'.**

Cue groans.

 **GOBBER**

 **She's right; you have to be tough on yourselves.**

 **CREAK. All eyes turn to Hiccup, entering the hall, sheepishly. Gobber glares at him.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **(Glaring at Hiccup) Where did Hiccup go wrong?**

 **He tries to take a seat at the table...**

"What's your problem?" they heard Tauriel shout from above.

 **RUFFNUT**

 **He showed up.**

"He showed up." Flynn mocked in a high-pitched voice.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **He didn't get eaten.**

Hiro stuck his tongue out at the male twin.

 **... But the recruits keep closing the gaps.**

Jack glowered. Those self-assured, arrogant, ignorant, biased, insolent…

 **Rolling his eyes, Hiccup sits at the vacant table next to them.**

 **ASTRID**

 **He's never where he should be.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Thank you, Astrid.**

"Thank you, Astrid…" This time it was all three of them who mocked.

 **Gobber stands.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **You need to live and breathe this stuff.**

 **Gobber lays a giant book in the center of the table.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of.**

Hiro immediately (and rather expectedly by now) perked up.

 **A RUMBLE of thunder shakes the hall. Rain pours down outside.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **No attacks tonight. Study up.**

 **Gobber EXITS into the storm, leaving the teens staring at the book.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(You've got to be kidding) Wait, you mean read?**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **While we're still alive?**

"Oh, wow!" Jack laughed.

"Hah, nerds!" Hiro declared, his words dripping with sarcasm.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?**

They raised their eyebrows.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh! I've read it like, seven times. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week...**

"Now _that_ is a nerd if I ever saw one." Hiro smiled fondly.

 **The teens stare as Fishlegs goes on too long.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Yeah, that sounds great. There was a chance I was going to read that...**

"Yeah." Flynn nodded, his expression practically screaming sarcasm.

 **RUFFNUT**

 **...But now...**

 **Snotlout gets up to go.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **You guys read, I'll go kill stuff.**

 **The others follow, with Fishlegs in tow.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh and there's this other one that has these spines that look like trees...**

 **Astrid is the last to go.**

 **HICCUP**

 **So I guess we'll share—**

"Zero chance." Jack announced.

 **ASTRID**

 **Read it.**

 **She pushes it toward him and leaves.**

"Called it!"

 **HICCUP**

 **All mine then. Wow, so okay. I'll SEE YOU-**

 **Slam.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Tomorrow. (SIGH)**

"Harsh…" the three muttered sympathetically. Hiccup quickly shushed them, excited for the next part.

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. GREAT HALL - LATE NIGHT**

 **ON HICCUP'S HAND OPENING the massive book. Thunder BOOMS outside. The hall is vacant and dark, but for the few candles he's pulled together.**

"It's not creepy at all…" Jack drawled with a raised eyebrow.

 **Hiccup pours through page after page of strange and frightening dragons.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.)**

 **Dragon classifications.**

Guess who perked up here. Again.

 **Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class.**

 **Hiccup turns the page.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools.**

 **(MORE)**

 **When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range.**

"Ouch." Flynn stated.

 **Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.**

"Ouh…" Jack winced.

 **Hiccup's eyes drift to a lurid illustration of decapitated Vikings. Another page, another dragon.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full-grown trees...extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.**

 **Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous.**

 **The storm outside rages against the shuttered windows. Hiccup is startled,**

The four watchers jumped startled as well.

 **but presses on.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid.**

Hiro's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

 **Kill on sight.**

 **He begins flipping through the pages. A blur of dragons...**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Gronkle. Zippleback. The Skrill.**

 **The illustrations seem to take on a life of their own, shifting and squirming in the candlelight.**

"Is it just me or are those pictures moving?" Flynn squeaked.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Bone Knapper. Whispering Death.**

"Okay, they're _definitely_ moving."

 **Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out.**

The watchers' expressions formed a mixture of disgust, incredulity and pure horror.

 **Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight...**

The horror on the Viking's face turned to disgust. Hiro shuddered.

"Too creepily expressive pictures…"

 **Hiccup finally lands upon the page he's been looking for.**

 **HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D)**

 **Night Fury.**

The three felt chills creeping down their spines, and not only because of the background music. A small smile embedded itself on Hiccup's face.

 **It's BLANK - no image, save for a few, sparse details.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.**

All four watched in awe.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Never engage this dragon. Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you.**

 **Hiccup pulls his sketchbook out of his vest and opens it to his drawing of the Night Fury. He lays it over the book's blank page and considers it. CLOSE ON the drawing of The Night Fury...**

 **MATCH CUT TO:**

 **EXT. HIGH SEAS - DAWN**

 **A painted DRAGON, with a sword run through it.**

Hiccup all but jumped on his seat, then leaned forward intently. That told the others he hadn't witnessed what was to happen.

 **It's the billowing sail of Stoick's ship. Stoick hovers over the familiar nautical map - his eyes on the uncharted corner, swirling in mist and illustrations of dragons.**

"Ha-ha-ha, there's the hole!" Jack pointed grinning.

 **STOICK**

 **I can almost smell them. They're close. Steady.**

 **Stoick raises his gaze to... AN EPIC FOG BANK, towering from sky to sea like a bruised, daunting curtain, beyond which nothing is visible.**

"Again, not creepy at all." Jack stated. Flynn was panicking again.

"Those rocks look like _bones_!"

 **The three ships drift alongside it, skirting its solid edge, looking for an opening. ON DECK the crewmen mill nervously, all too aware of what Stoick is considering.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Take us in.**

 **The helmsman steers Stoick's ship into the fog. The men draw their weapons, prepping for the worst.**

 **VIKING**

 **Hard to port... for Helheim's gate.**

 **The first ship disappears into the whiteout, followed by the other two. A BEAT Suddenly a flash of light. A silhouette of a dragon.**

The four jumped two feet in the air, yelling in shock.

 **MATCH CUT TO:**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - RING - DAY**

 **HICCUP**

 **You know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?**

"Seriously?!" the three accused.

 **KABLAM!**

And jumped startled.

 **A blast takes the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt, leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup YELPS and RUNS.**

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **FOCUS Hiccup! You're not even trying.**

 **CUT BACK to reveal a Deadly Nadder, loose in a maze-like arrangement of moveable walls. Gobber calls orders from above.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Today... is all about attack.**

"And you don't have a weapon. Congratulations, Hiccup, doing great!" Flynn stated. Hiccup deadpanned him.

 **The Nadder hops from wall to wall, sending the recruits scurrying.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter.**

"How do we do that again?" Hiro raised an eyebrow.

 **The teens move in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy shield. The Nadder spots Fishlegs' ample rear hiding behind a wall. It whips its tail of spikes. Fishlegs SCREAMS and lifts his shield to shield himself from the spray.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods.**

"Me too." Hiro shook his head disbelievingly.

Flynn cried almost at the same time: "Only _now_?!"

 **GOBBER**

 **Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike.**

"Yeah – they're slogging their feet off and he's just standing there calling orders!" Flynn said exasperated.

"That's not the point, you guys," Hiro interrupted, "we just learned dragons have a blind spot!"

"No, no, no, you got this all wrong, the point is…"

"Pray tell." Hiro cut Jack with a raised eyebrow. The other smirked.

"The _point_ is-"

" _GUYS_!" The three turned to Hiccup who gestured to the screen.

"Right, sorry."

" _Thank you_."

 **Ruff and Tuff rush in, diving and rolling up to the Nadder's nose. The Nadder sniffs the air - it can't see them. Tuff and Ruff are smashed together - too close for comfort.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **(WHISPERED) Do you ever bathe?**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **How about I give you one!**

"Yep, I like her!" Jack declared with a grin.

 **Ruff and Tuff SHOVE each other, till their movement and noise gives them away. The Nadder ATTACKS, SNAPPING at both of them.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much.**

"Heh, good to know." Hiro smirked.

 **Hiccup wanders up to Gobber, while the others dart past.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?**

"You don't give up, do you?" Flynn deadpanned.

 **GOBBER**

 **None one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I know, I know, but hypothetically...**

"Really?"

 **ASTRID**

 **(WHISPERED) Hiccup!**

 **She puts her finger to her lips and gestures for him to hide. A moment later, the Nadder leaps over the walls, surprising them by landing in front of her. Astrid somersaults into its blind spot, confusing it. She rears back to strike - just as Snotlout LEAPS IN, protectively SWEEPING Astrid behind him.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **Watch out babe. I'll take care of this.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hey!**

 **Snotlout MISSES. Astrid glares at him.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **(DEFENSIVE) The sun was in my eyes, Astrid. What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!**

"Pathetic," Flynn clicked his tongue, "you don't sweep a girl off her feet like that, don't you know anything?" The other three looked at him with raised eyebrows. He lifted his hands as if in surrender. "What? It's true! What this guy needs is a smolder!"

Hysterical laughter could be heard from somewhere above.

 **The Nadder tears off after her, knocking down walls in pursuit. She leaps and dives like a highly trained gymnast. Hiccup wanders up to Gobber again.**

 **HICCUP**

 **They probably take the daytime off. You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?**

Hiro stared. "I can't possibly get it, how can you be so distracted _and_ so focused at the same time?"

"Yeah, they're gonna kill you, man, _move_!" Flynn added.

 **GOBBER**

 **Hiccup!**

 **ASTRID**

 **-Hiccup!**

 **Hiccup spins around to see the maze walls collapsing like dominos toward him. Astrid comes flying through the dust and crash-lands on top of him, laying him out in a limb-tangled mess.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Ooh! Love on the battlefield!**

Jack and Flynn snickered uncontrollably.

 **RUFFNUT**

 **She could do better.**

 **The Nadder closes in, emerging through the cloud of dust.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(Struggling to untangle) Just... let me... why don't you...**

 **The Nadder spins around and races back toward them like a Raptor. Astrid untangles herself and tries to pull her axe from Hiccup's shield… Which is attached to his limp, gangly arm. She PLANTS her foot on his face and YANKS the axe free,**

" _OUCH_!" the four of them winced collectively.

 **still burrowed into the shield. She SPINS and SWINGS the axe and shield, scoring a DIRECT HIT on the oncoming Nadder's NOSE. It yelps and scurries off.**

"You gotta admit, she's pretty darn good." Hiro said towards Hiccup who nodded.

 **GOBBER**

 **Well done, Astrid.**

 **Gobber hobbles off to wrestle the Nadder back into his cave. Hiccup gets to his feet - all eyes are upon him. He turns to find Astrid glaring at him, winded.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Is this some kind of a joke to you?**

"But also pretty darn rude." The black-haired boy added; the other two nodded vigorously as Hiccup muttered unintelligibly, defending her.

 **Our parents' war is about to become ours. Figure out which side you're on.**

 **She grabs her axe and stomps off. Hiccup watches, stung.**

"That was extreme." Jack mused. Flynn agreed with a nod; Hiro, however, noticed his neighbor's expression. There was something in it that the young genius just couldn't understand, but all in good time, he figured, so he let it slide.

* * *

 **Original A/N:** **Yay, extra long chapter to make up for almost two weeks of waiting! Sorry, I didn't have the heart to stop the movie! Would you, were you at my place? Hm? No. No, you wouldn't.**

 **By the way, Flynn is such a drama king, isn't he?**

 **[1]: I have no idea what this means, I nicked it from a clip on YouTube called "Everything great about How To Train Your Dragon". It's awesome, go watch it if you would like. There's one for Big Hero 6 as well.**

 **Also, the guys are taken from specific moments in the movies, so they don't know what's going to happen till the end of their films, only to a certain point. It will be revealed from where in due time, in the next chapter, I think, or the one after that.**

 **Tauriel's off studying but she greets y'all.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Quick question, if I owned this, would I be publishing it on _fan_ - _fiction_? I don't think so.

Chapter 5: To earn a dragon's loyalty

* * *

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. COVE - MAGIC HOUR**

 **CLOSE ON**

 **A fish... being thrown into the cove.**

The guys stared. "What?"

 **It hits the ground and slides. A moment later, Hiccup peeks through a gap in the rock, looking around cautiously. Nothing.**

"Don't tell me you went to the dragon's den!"

Hiccup responded to Flynn with a sheepish (if a little distracted) shrug.

 **Hiccup squeezes through and enters the cove. A BEAT, then Hiccup hears a SNORT from behind him. Hiccup turns to see the Night Fury, crouched on a rock like a stealthy panther. It descends, approaching him... ready to pounce. Hiccup swallows his fear and offers the fish.**

Hiro shook his head. "I can't get over how you always do things cleverly and stupidly at the same time!"

 **Doing so reveals the dagger at his waist.**

"Stupidly." The black-haired boy decided.

 **The dragon sees it and hisses. Hiccup reaches for it, eliciting a growl. He pauses, carefully lifts it by the handle, and drops it, the Night fury gestures for Hiccup to throw it away, he scoops it on top of his foot and tosses it away.**

Flynn didn't have enough time to panic properly because…

 **The dragon calms. As it approaches the fish, Hiccup notices that it's missing teeth.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Huh. Toothless.**

The three looked on in interest. "I could've sworn it had these pointy fangs…" Hiro murmured.

 **I could've sworn you had...**

 **A set of razor sharp teeth emerge from its gums**

"GAH!"

 **to grab the fish. Toothless snatches and gnashes it up, swallowing it.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... Teeth.**

 **The teeth retract again.**

"Retractable teeth?" Hiro stated impressed. Flynn reached and whacked him upside the head.

"Would you pay attention? Hiccup's about to get eaten!"

 **Toothless presses closer with an expectant look. Hiccup retreats nervously.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Uh, no. No, I don't have any more.**

 **The Fury backs Hiccup against a rock, placing him in the same position as before. The dragon closes in over him, staring blankly. A tense moment passes...**

Yep, the guys were tense alright. They'd even look at the brunette next to them to assure he was still there.

 **Then Toothless regurgitates a chunk of fish onto Hiccup's lap.**

"Yuck!" they drawled. "Why would it do that?" Hiccup didn't answer; he was too busy looking a bit green.

 **They exchange stares. Hiccup realizes what Toothless wants him to do.**

"No, no, no, don't tell me-"

 **Hiccup crouches slowly and squeamishly picks it up. The dragon waits expectantly. Hiccup gags and gnaws off a bite of the slimy fish.**

"Gross, double yuck!" Flynn almost gagged. Now Hiro looked green too.

"This is so unhygienic… Oh, thank goodness Fred isn't here, he would've tried it…"

 **He forces a smile. Toothless mimics him.**

Jack stared at the screen amazed. He nudged the two who were still gagging. "Come on, guys, man up, look at that dragon over there! It's not like the others!" Hiccup smiled.

"Yeah, he's something else alright."

 **Amazed, Hiccup sits up and tries to touch him. Toothless HISSES and flaps off to a crash on the other side of the cove. He BLASTS the mossy ground to a red-hot temperature... and curls up on it like a giant dog.**

"Wow…" This time Jack joined in Hiro's gasp of admiration.

 **He turns to find Hiccup seated beside him. Toothless tolerates his persistent presence... until Hiccup tries to touch his damaged tail. Toothless SNAPS at him. Hiccup takes the hint and leaves.**

The guys chuckled fondly at the brunette, but he himself never looked away from the screen, some sort of wistfulness in his eyes.

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **It's the MAGIC HOUR. Toothless wakes, hanging upside down from a tree. He spots Hiccup sitting on the other side of the cove. Sketching in the sand. CLOSE ON a sketch of Toothless.**

Silent gasps elicited from the guys.

 **Hiccup draws with a stick, minding his own business. Toothless appears behind him, watching carefully. Aware of his presence, Hiccup continues, trying not to scare him off.**

 **Toothless walks off. A moment later, he reappears with an entire sapling, drawing lines in the sand.**

They chuckled, but kept quiet for the most part, unwilling to break the magical aura.

 **He rushes here and there, making haphazard lines in every direction. Finally, Toothless drops the tree and inspects his work. He seems pleased. Hiccup stands and takes in the sprawling scribble, amazed by it. He accidentally steps onto one of the lines, eliciting an instant growl from Toothless. He steps on it again. Toothless growls again. Realizing how sensitive he is, Hiccup steps carefully between each line, turning round and round until he unwittingly bumps into Toothless. Toothless snorts. Once again, they're face to face. Hiccup slowly extends his hand. Toothless hesitates. Hiccup turns his head away and closes his eyes. To his amazement, Toothless bridges the gap and presses his muzzle against Hiccup's hand.**

 **In a flash, the dragon is gone, leaving Hiccup astounded.**

"Hey, Arwen, could-could you stop the movie for a bit?" Hiro murmured, his gaze never leaving Hiccup. "I'd like to take this in." The screen immediately froze.

For a bit there was only silence surrounding the four; finally Jack spoke up.

"This is why you've been so quiet throughout the whole movie…" Hiccup rubbed his neck.

"Um, yeah, that and the fact that it's extremely weird to watch myself from the sidelines."

"But this… this is…" Hiro didn't have the words. Hiccup sighed.

"I know. Not the Viking-ly thing."

"Are you kidding me?" Flynn grabbed his shoulder. "Hiccup, this is the greatest thing I've seen yet in that movie. Blast the Vikings, you just found out dragons aren't mindless!"

"Yeah, it's an amazing feat! Now you can change it all!" Hiro added. Jack smiled.

"We're proud of you, man. It's… wonderful! You don't regret it, do you?" The Viking shook his head.

"No, of course not! But my tribe would've turned on me if they knew, I though you'd do the same." They shook their heads.

"Look," Hiro said, "I realize it may sound offensive, but brutality – like you charming Viking demeanor – was left in the Dark Ages. We're more humane." A smile grew on Hiccup's face.

"Oh, this is so great! Thanks, you guys!" It then curved into a smirk. "Hey, let's keep watching, there's something you'd like, Hiro." The boy in question raised his eyebrows but the movie had already been un-paused.

 **EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT**

 **Gobber and the recruits are seated at the top of an abandoned catapult tower, toasting campfire food around a roaring bonfire.**

 **GOBBER**

 **...and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole.**

"Oh, is that the story of how he lost his limbs?" Jack sounded as excited as a small kid.

 **Gobber (CONT'D) And I saw the look on his face. (Can't deny it) I was delicious.**

The four snorted loudly, not looking at each other lest they'd start laughing uncontrollably.

 **He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon?**

"Yeah, it's weird alright, what's his point?" Jack looked at Hiccup who grinned.

"Wait for it."

 **Like if your mind was still in control of it you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing his heart or something.**

"What?!" Flynn gasped incredulous; Jack burst out laughing, his hand banging against the armrest.

"No, no, no, this is too good!"

"But it's not even biologically possible!" Hiro tried, but he too was snickering.

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **I swear I'm so angry right now. I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face.**

Jack had just stopped laughing and that started him again. "Oh, Manny, his face…"

Flynn shook his head with a smirk. "Toady."

 **He postures to Astrid. She rolls her eyes.**

 **GOBBER**

 **(With a mouthful) Un-unh. It's the wings and the tails you really want. If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon.**

That immediately sobered them. Flynn gulped. "That dragon was missing half its tailfin, that's why it-"

" _He_." Hiccup cut him. "Yeah, that's why. And it was all _my_ fault."

 **ON HICCUP hiding his horrified look form the others. Gobber stands and stretches.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be too. Tomorrow we get into the big boys. Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. (Playful, taunting) But who'll win the honor of killing it?**

Jack scoffed. "Such an honor…"

 **He hobbles off. The teens reflect.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **(Very matter of fact) It's gonna be me. (BEAT) It's my destiny. See?**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(GASPS) Your mom let you get a tattoo?**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **It's not a tattoo. It's a birthmark.**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **Okay, I've been stuck with you since birth, and that was never there before.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Yes it was. You've just never seen me from the left side until now.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **It wasn't there yesterday. Is it a birthmark or a today-mark?**

Normally, the watchers would've laughed, but now…

 **Hiccup gets up and walks away from the group. Astrid watches him as he leaves the bonfire.**

The scrawny Viking who was hurrying down the stairs had their undivided attention.

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - MOMENTS LATER**

 **Hiccup enters a small room at the back of the stall. It's covered in drawings of weaponry and scale models.**

Hiro didn't even have time to gasp because…

 **He lights a candle and lays his sketchbook out on the desk, opening it to the drawing of Toothless. With a look of determination, Hiccup picks up a charcoal stick and re-draws the missing tail.**

"Oh, my goodness, you're going to…"

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - LATER**

 **CLOSE ON**

 **... A creaking leather bellows. The stone forge glows with every pump. Tongs pull intricate iron pieces from the coals. They're dropped onto the anvil, twisted, lightly hammered, and dunked in a barrel. The pieces are carried to Hiccup's workbench and laid out in place on a one-to-one schematic. Everything is put together and leather is sewn over it. Hiccup holds the finished fin open like a fan, snapping it shut to show a sketch of a mechanical fin.**

* * *

 **Original A/N:** **And it's a wrap. Reactions to the peg tailfin will be in the beginning of the next chapter (which should be up no later than the weekend) and when the guys are taken from will be revealed in the one after that.**

 **And now I'm giving the metaphorical microphone to Tauriel.**

 ** _Hi there! I'm sick of studying, being sick and basically having no time to talk to you, "random people of the Internet", so I'm back! I hope you liked the chapter, that's one of my favorite parts of the movie actually so I'm optimistic you enjoyed!_**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: in the first chapter

Chapter 6: Pretty sick, huh?

* * *

Flynn stared at the screen. "My mind just got blown." Jack was all but jumping in his seat.

"Hiccup, this is so great! Now he'll be able to fly again! Come here, you little caring blacksmith!" And the Guardian threw himself at the Viking who yelped in surprise and laughed as the overenthusiastic spirit ruffled his hair; Flynn (who'd shaken off the shock) watched them amused.

When the two finally calmed down, they turned to check on Hiro, who (curiously enough) hadn't said a word yet. They found him staring at the screen much like Flynn had, his lips stretched in a grin that almost looked stupid, so big it was. He then slowly turned his head to them, his smile widening even more (if that was possible).

Hiccup groaned. "Oh, my gods, not agai-" But the black-haired genius had already thrown himself onto the brunette.

"That's sick, man! I can't believe you managed to make _a prosthetic tailfin_ with _your_ technology – or lack thereof… Seriously, this is amazing!"

"Heh, thanks, Hiro," Hiccup chuckled, "but it wasn't that fast…"

"Never mind, things always need refinement, the point is you did it! I can't wait to see him fly again!"

"Then maybe you should _keep watching_!" Arwen shouted from only-Santa-knows-where. Laughing, the guys settled back in their seats.

 **EXT. HIDDEN COVE - DAWN**

 **Hiccup arrives, winded, straining under the weight of a full basket. Toothless approaches, sniffing him.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey Toothless.**

"Wait, let me get this straight, you called him Toothless?" Jack asked, looking over to his neighbor.

"Yep."

"That Night Fury over there?"

"Yep."

"…Okay then"

 **I brought breakfast. I hope you're hungry.**

 **Hiccup drops the basket and kicks it over. Fish spill out.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay, that's disgusting.**

"You don't say." Flynn muttered.

 **Toothless approaches, settling in to devour the feast.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Uh… we've got some salmon...**

 **Toothless sniffs it.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **... Some nice Icelandic cod… and a whole smoked eel.**

 **Toothless hisses at it.**

"Huh?"

 **When Hiccup picks the eel up, Toothless shrieks at the sight of it, obviously disgusted.**

"Okay, what's the matter with that eel?" Hiro asked. "Is it poisonous or something?" Hiccup shrugged.

"I still haven't figured it out." **[** **Original AN:** **But we know he will. Cough, "The Eel Effect".]**

 **Hiccup hurries to throw it away.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No, no, no! It's okay. Yeah, I don't like eel much either.**

"Dragons hate eel. Who knew, right?" Flynn piped up. Jack grinned.

"You learn something new every day."

 **Toothless focuses on the remainder. With the dragon distracted, Hiccup creeps behind him with prosthetic fin.**

The three looked at him. "What are you-?"

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay. That's it. That's it, just stick with good stuff. And don't you mind me. I'll just be** **back... here. Minding my own business.**

" _Oh_."

They _tsk-_ ed, thinking _There's no way this will end well._

 **Hiccup cautiously approaches the injured tail, but every time he gets near it, Toothless sweeps it away like a cat.**

Cue snickers. Some (*cough*, Hiro, *cough*) louder than others.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **It's okay.**

 **Hiccup drops a knee on top of the tail. He straps the prosthetic fin in place and cinches the straps.**

 **Toothless' head juts up, slows its chewing to a halt.**

"Pa-pa-pam." Jack stated in a singsong voice.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay... Okay…**

 **The dragon tenses, slowly spreading his wings.**

"Pa-pa-pam." This time it was all of the three who hummed. Hiccup rolled his eyes at them.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PLEASED) There. Not too bad. It works.**

 **Toothless BOLTS!**

"GAH!"

 **He snaps his massive wings and takes to the air, carrying Hiccup with him.**

"No, no, no…" Flynn muttered to himself, frozen in spot. Jack and Hiro felt the same.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Woah! No! No! No!**

 **Hiccup struggles to hold on to the tail. As the ground speeds away, Toothless immediately TIPS into an uncontrolled bank and dive. Hiccup sees the folded fin rattling uselessly in opposition to its flared counterpart. Flap as he may, Toothless can't correct his trajectory.**

"No, there's no way to operate it!" Hiro yelled.

 **Hiccup swallows his fear and crawls toward the folded prosthetic. He reaches it and YANKS it open. The flared, fan-like appendage catches the air, stabilizing the twisting tail. Toothless arcs just short of the ground and climbs... High into the air.**

Cue "Phew"-s.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(Excited, terrified) It's working! Yes! Yes, I did it.**

"But that can't be a permanent way, can it?" Jack exclaimed. Hiro nodded.

"Yeah, a major problem would be-"

 **Toothless glances back at Hiccup, busily holding the tail open while trying to hold on.**

"-there you go."

 **Whoomp! Hiccup is suddenly thrown from the tail in the intense force of a turn.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!**

The watchers yelled as well. Yes, even Hiccup.

 **He bounces across the water's surface and takes a dive. Without Hiccup to operate the tail,**

"Pa-pa-pam." By now you know who that is.

 **Toothless does the same, plunging in a massive cannonball. Hiccup resurfaces, roughed up, but beaming. Toothless appears seconds later.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah!**

"You're crazy!"

Hiccup grinned at the three. "Been called that before."

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - MORNING**

 **GOBBER (O.S.)**

 **Today is about teamwork. Work together and you might survive.**

"Uh, Vikings and teamwork? I'm not sure it'll happen." Jack deadpanned. Meanwhile, Flynn was muttering to himself.

"He said might, why did he say might?"

 **ON A DOUBLEWIDE DOOR. Gas seeps through the cracks. It BLASTS OPEN.**

"WHOA!" they screamed surprised.

 **A cloud of smoke engulfs the ring, swirling around the paired-up teens. Astrid with Ruffnut, Snotlout with Tuffnut and Fishlegs with Hiccup. All carry buckets of water, poised to throw them.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Now, a wet dragonhead can't light its fire.**

"Yeah? That's sick!" Hiro commented.

 **The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which.**

Flynn scoffed. "Yet again he doesn't tell us _how_ to do it."

 **The smoke encircles them, cutting them off from each other. The teens LISTEN and WATCH for any sign of the dragon.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **(Muttering to himself) Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion, prefers ambush attack, crushing its victims in its...**

 **HICCUP**

 **(TENSE) Will you please stop that?**

"Thanks, he was really starting to creep me out."

"No problem, Flynn."

 **ON SNOTLOUT AND TUFFNUT**

 **Moving nervously through the fog, back to back.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **If that dragon shows either of his faces, I'm gonna- (spotting an approaching shape, terrified) -There!**

 **Snotlout and Tuffnut HURL their water into the fog.**

Jack furrowed his eyebrows. "I have a feeling that-"

 **ASTRID**

 **Hey!**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **It's us, idiots.**

"-yeah, called it!"

 **Astrid and Ruffnut are soaked.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon.**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **(TO ASTRID)**

 **Not that there's anything wrong with a dragonesque figure…**

"Pa-pa-pam." Jack hummed with a grin. Flynn face-palmed. "Poor, poor idiot."

 **Astrid ELBOWS Snotlout in the face. Ruffnut DROPS Tuffnut with a PUNCH to the throat.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Wait.**

 **They FREEZE. A tail SWEEPS out of the fog, taking them down. Their buckets spill. Tuffnut runs out of the fog frantically.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Oh, I'm hurt. I am very much hurt.**

The three hesitantly snickered.

 **On Hiccup and Fishlegs.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Chances of survival are dwindling into single digits now...**

 **HICCUP**

 **Look out!**

 **A Zippleback head emerges out of the smoke. Fishlegs hurls his water at it, completely dousing the head. It leers and opens its mouth, spewing gas into the area.**

Hiro blinked. "Uh, oops?"

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Oh. Wrong head.**

 **GAS FLOWS around their legs. Fishlegs flees in a panic.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Fishlegs!**

 **Beat. A clicking sound comes from behind them. The other head sweeps out of the smoke. Sparks flash in its mouth.**

 **GOBBER (CONT'D)**

 **Now, Hiccup!**

"Go, Hiccup!" they cheered.

 **Hiccup hurls his water with all his might. It arcs**

"Yes!"

 **and drops short of the dragon's sparking mouth.**

"NO!"

 **The dragon grins, savoring the kill.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh, come on!**

 **GOBBER**

 **Hiccup!**

 **(Beat)**

 **The Zippleback hesitates. Then retreats. The teens get to their feet, watching transfixed, as…The Zippleback backs away from Hiccup.**

"What?" The three gasped.

 **He stands and holds his hands out, as if controlling it.**

Hiro looked at the brunette. "How are you doing that?"

 **HICCUP**

 **BACK! BACK, BACK! Now don't you make me tell you again!**

 **The Zippleback retreats through its door and into its cave, hissing.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yes, that's right. Back into your cage.**

 **Hiccup slyly OPENS his vest, revealing the spotted smoked EEL from earlier.**

" _Ooh…_ "

 **He TOSSES it inside the door, and then SLAMS it shut.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Now think about what you've done.**

Cue snickers…

 **Hiccup turns to the teens and Gobber. They stare, slack-jawed.**

… And laughter.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Okay! So are we done? Because I've got some things I need to...**

 **Hiccup jogs out of the ring, past the speechless group.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yep...see you tomorrow.**

 **The teens are still speechless.**

Jack chuckled. "I can't believe they bought it…"

 **EXT. WOODS/COVE - SUNSET**

 **BEGIN MUSIC MONTAGE**

"Oh, nice soundtrack!" Hiro commented.

A second later they were deafened by the sisters' yell: "YES!"

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - HICCUP'S CLOSET - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup cuts and stitches leather, draws and shapes steel.**

Hiro leaned forward. "Ooh, what are you doing now?" Hiccup chuckled at his enthusiasm.

 **He works by candlelight. An overhead shot reveals what he's building: a harness, complete with handles and foot pedals.**

Flynn nodded. "Yeah, that's smart."

 **EXT. COVE - DAY**

 **Hiccup appears before Toothless, holding the saddle. Toothless runs off as Hiccup chases him down.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Hey!**

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

 **EXT. COVE - DAY**

 **Toothless and Hiccup are zooming over the lake. The tail breaks free sending Hiccup flying.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Yeah! Whoa!**

 **INT. BLAKCSMITH STALL - LATER**

 **Hiccup adjusts the harness and uses a metal clamp to affix himself to Toothless' saddle.**

"Yes! Safety!" Flynn cried overdramatically. Jack nudged him with a grin as Hiro nodded impressed.

"Good thinking!"

 **EXT. SKY/FIELD - DAWN**

 **Hiccup and Toothless zip through the air - his rudimentary harness and tail controls are working, barely. They crash-land in an open field. Hiccup recovers to find Toothless still rolling around in the tall grass. Hiccup discovers that it's a patch of 'dragon-**

 **nip'. Toothless writhes on his back, tongue wagging, in complete bliss.**

"What? What's wrong with him?" Hiro asked, barely holding his laughter. The other two had already lost it, and Hiccup was halfway there.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - MORNING**

 **Hiccup grabs the head as instructed, then discreetly pulls a fistful of 'dragon-nip' and presses it up to the Gronkle's nose. It immediately stops struggling and goes weak in the**

 **knees. Hiccup drops the handful of dragon-nip to the ground. The Gronkle goes down with it, whimpering and blissful. From Gobber and the recruits' point of view, Hiccup is**

 **controlling the Gronkle with no more than a limp arm.**

 **EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON**

 **The recruits walk home together, surrounding Hiccup and BOMBARDING HIM WITH QUESTIONS.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Hey Hiccup; I've never seen a Gronkle to that before.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **How'd you do that?**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **It was really cool.**

 **He squirms and invents an excuse.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I left my axe back in the ring.**

 **He turns and hurries back, almost bumping in Astrid.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **You guys go on ahead and I'll catch up with you.**

 **Astrid watches, suspicious.**

"They bought it again! I can't believe it!" Jack snickered.

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Hiccup rubs Toothless under the chin, causing him to relax and fall over.**

Eh, such a pity, they had just stopped laughing…

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - LATER**

 **An angry Deadly Nadder approaches Hiccup. Just as Astrid moves in to strike, Hiccup performs his special rubbing technique, which sends the Nadder down. Astrid and the other kids look on from the sideline in amazement.**

 **INT. MEADE HALL - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup sits down at a table to eat. The other recruits notice him and move over to his table to talk to him – leaving Astrid alone.**

"No more alone eating for you!" Flynn stated pleased, patting the brunette's shoulder.

 **FISHLEGS**

 **Hey Hiccup!**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **What was that? Some kind of trick? What did you do?**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Hiccup, you're totally going to come in first, there's no question.**

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Hiccup is using a hammer to create a patch of light on the ground. Toothless claws and chases the light patch like a cat chasing a laser pointer.**

Hiro burst out laughing. Not that the others weren't snickering as well, it's just that he was the loudest. "Okay, now that's just a tad too much cat to be dragon…" he managed in-between snickers.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **A beam lifts from the door of another dragon pen.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Meet the Terrible Terror.**

 **A tiny, pint-sized dragon steps out and moves toward the recruits.**

"Aww!" the three drawled involuntarily. Hiccup laughed fondly at them.

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Ha. It's like the size of my-**

 **Tuffnut is taken down in a blur.**

The guys (except for Hiccup) stared, a bit creped out. "Uh…"

 **TUFFNUT (CONT'D)**

 **Get it off! Get it off! Oh! I'm hurt, I am very much hurt!**

 **Hiccup stops the Terrible Terror with the same light-patch trick he used earlier with Toothless.**

The guys nodded. "That's smart!"

 **The tiny dragon retreats back to it's cage. The teens approach him yet again as Astrid looks on with suspicion.**

 **TUFFNUT (CONT'D)**

 **(TO ASTRID) Wow, he's better than you ever were.**

Jack looked over at Hiccup. "He just passed your death sentence, mate. And your success signed it."

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. FOREST - MOMENTS LATER**

 **Astrid furiously hurls her axe at a nearby tree.**

"Called it!"

 **She notices Hiccup walking by in the distance, carrying one of his trademark harnesses. She quickly tries to follow, but he loses her in the woods. She HUFFS, frustrated.**

One of the watchers, it couldn't be determined who, quietly celebrated. "Yes!"

 **EXT. COVE - LATER**

 **Hiccup straps a newly designed harness onto Toothless. With Toothless tied to a nearby post with a rope. Hiccup rides him in the air - while stationary. Toothless looks like a giant kite tied to a tree stump. This harness seems to work.**

Hiro's jaw fell. Flynn looked to the other two. "Judging by his state, he thinks it's great. And it is!"

 **EXT. SKY - MOMENTS LATER**

 **The rope breaks and the pair CRASH into a tree. Hiccup gets up to find the safety line is stuck.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh, great.**

Cue sympathetic grunts.

 **EXT. BERK - NIGHT**

 **The streets are empty save for a lone Viking who crosses Hiccup's path.**

 **VIKING**

 **Hiccup.**

 **Hiccup nods, trying to look casual. Once the coast is clear, he covertly steers Toothless into the Blacksmith's stall.**

This time three jaws fell. "You brought Toothless into the village? Are you out of your mind?!"

 **Toothless PRESSES himself inside, rooting through stuff and making a racket. Astrid, walking nearby, is alerted.**

 **ASTRID (O.S.)**

 **Hiccup?**

"Pa-pa-pam, he's doomed."

 **Hiccup FREEZES.**

"And he knows it!"

 **Then frantically tries to pry the ring off the saddle hook. It won't budge.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Are you in there?**

 **Too late - she's right outside. ON ASTRID walking along the outside of the Blacksmith's. Hiccup JUMPS OUT the window and CLOSES the shutters behind him. Hiccup's harness line is stretched through the window, still attached to Toothless' saddle.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Astrid. Hey! Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I normally don't care what people do, but you're acting weird. Well, weirder.**

Flynn scoffed. "Yeah, that much is true." Hiccup threw him a look.

"I'd like to see you do better."

 **Toothless spots a nearby sheep**

"O-oh."

 **and makes a move toward it. As a result, Hiccup is suddenly PULLED TIGHT against the window shutters. He STRIKES A POSE to compensate... then gets PULLED THROUGH the shutters. They snap back in Astrid's face. Astrid reopens them and finds nothing but an empty stall. In the distance, Toothless and Hiccup slip off unseen.**

* * *

 **Original A/N:** **I'm ashamed of myself. Sorry. I won't promise anything anymore, because obviously I can't keep those promises. Ugh…**

 **Anyway. A funny little chapter with lots of laughing. I hope the guys still were in character… Tell me if they're not, it's important to me. And do they interrupt the movie too much? Or is it fine?**

 **Tauriel says she agrees with all I just said…** ** _Yeah…_** **XD**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: in the first chapter

Chapter 7: You have to believe

 ** _Author's notes Mk 2:_ Extra chapters for Christmas!**

* * *

The four laughed contently. "That was one fine getaway, man!" Flynn praised the Viking who grinned.

 **EXT. DOCKS - DAWN**

 **A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men.**

And the giddy mood was killed. Those are plot twists for you.

 **They disembark to a crowd of onlookers, looking like a team of hometown heroes who just had their butts kicked. Gobber hobbles through the MUMBLING crowd to find Stoick - last to disembark and glowering with battered pride. He lumbers past Gobber, leaving him staring at the trashed ship.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, I trust you found the nest at least?**

Jack nodded in sympathy. "How horrible it would be for him if-"

 **STOICK**

 **Not even close.**

"-never mind."

 **GOBBER**

 **Ah. Excellent.**

 **Gobber follows Stoick up the ramp and snags his duffle bag with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.**

 **STOICK**

 **I hope you had a little more success than me.**

As if on cue, the three turned to Hiccup grinning. He huffed fondly at them.

 **GOBBER**

 **Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes.**

 **Stoick stops. What does that mean? A group of merry villagers rush past.**

 **VIKING #1**

 **Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved.**

 **VIKING #2**

 **Out with the old and in with the new, right?!**

"Huh?" Hiccup gasped incredulous.

 **VIKING #3**

 **No one will miss that old nuisance!**

The guys were just about to open their mouths when the screen said its final words.

 **VIKING #4**

 **The village is throwing a party to celebrate!**

"They're talking like you died or something!" Hiro pointed out, shaking his head.

Flynn leaned past Jack to look at the brunette. "You _haven't_ died, have you?" Hiccup snorted.

"I hope not. I think this is in my past though so I guess no."

 **Stoick is stunned, overwhelmed by the insensitivity. He turns to Gobber.**

 **STOICK**

 **He's... gone?**

 **GOBBER**

 **Yeah... Most afternoons. But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans.**

"Is that true?" the three looked at the Viking who bent his head, a bit flustered.

"He's exaggerating." Jack smirked.

" _Sure_ , Hiccup." The brunette stuck his tongue out at him.

 **Stoick is doubly confused.**

 **STOICK**

 **Hiccup?**

"No, your other son." Hiro deadpanned.

 **GOBBER**

 **(BEAMING) Who would've thought, eh? He has this...way with the beasts.**

That threw the three into a fit of laughing and nudging each other. Hiccup, however, had just figured out _when_ the movie was happening and felt a salad of feelings. On the one hand, he was thrilled to relive that first flight, on the other he longed to see how it looked from aside. There was, however, quite a lot of nervousness as to how the others would react – he wouldn't be surprised if they tried to kill him for nearly killing himself…

 **CUT TO:**

 **EXT. SKY - AFTERNOON**

 **Toothless and Hiccup soar through a perfect blue sky.**

And at that moment three jaws hit the floor. Jack, Flynn and Hiro were practically in denial; they couldn't believe the Viking was flying. And yet the proof was there, on the screen. "You're flying him, you're actually flying him…" Jack murmured, "I thought only I could fly… This is…"

"Unbelievable…" Hiro's awed voice echoed.

Flynn seemed to put a lot of effort in speaking coherently. "I mean we already saw you on the saddle but this…"

"Wow…" the three drawled together.

 **Billowing clouds rise like mountains. The ground seems miles below them.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Okay there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow.**

 **Hiccup checks a leather cheat sheet, clipped onto his harness. Inscribed upon it are several tail positions and their pedal position equivalents.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Here we go. Here we go...position three, no four.**

 **He presses the pedal, causing the tail to flare. They roll off into an arcing bank, gloriously lit by the late afternoon sun.**

The three watched concentrated and a little tense – they couldn't help but worry. Hiccup, on the other hand, looked on in fascination.

 **Hiccup tucks tight against Toothless' neck, thrilled that his new harness and vest are holding. The foot controls make the tail appendage quick and responsive. He watches Toothless' every fluctuation, trying to match it with the prosthetic. Hiccup sizes up a target - a towering arch of stone, rising from the sea.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Alright, it's go time. It's go time.**

 **They dive toward it, lining up to pass through the arch.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Come on. Come on buddy. Come on buddy!**

"Come on…" The three boys chanted quietly as well.

 **They zip through the arch. A perfect maneuver.**

"Yes!"

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah! Yes, it worked!**

 **The triumph is short-lived. They smack into one of several sea stacks as Hiccup tries to keep up with the turns.**

"Ouch…" Flynn winced. Jack tried to drown out his chuckles, but failed and looked sheepishly at the brunette who grinned dismissively.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Sorry.**

 **They hurtle into another rock pillar. Toothless grumbles.**

"Ouch!" This time Hiro winced along with the thief. Jack's attempts not to laugh resulted in a snort.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **My fault.**

 **Toothless swats him with his 'ear' plate.**

The three couldn't help but chuckle. Hiccup smiled sheepishly.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. (Referring to the CHEAT SHEET) Position four, uh, three.**

 **They pierce the clouds. For the first time, Hiccup can see the whole of the island below them. It shrinks with every passing second. He SWALLOWS hard and tightens his grip on the handles.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Yeah! Go baby!**

Smiles rose on the watchers' faces.

 **Yes! Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my...**

 **He spots the leather guide tearing free in the turbulence.**

Hiccup tensed.

"No!" the other three cried.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PANICKED) ... CHEAT SHEET! STOP!**

 **Hiccup grabs frantically for the airborne sheet...**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No!**

 **... And NABS IT before it's carried out of reach.**

"You caught it…" Flynn murmured. But…

 **Toothless, however, obeys the command and suddenly STOPS beating his wings.**

"No, no, no…" the three exclaimed.

 **As they slow to a stop, Hiccup goes weightless. The rings of his vest float off of the harness hooks.**

"NO!"

 **Hiccup suddenly finds himself detached, free-falling.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Oh gods! Oh no!**

 **Without Hiccup, the tail loses control. Hiccup and Toothless spiral downward. Toothless FIGHTS to get back under Hiccup.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(Trying to calm Toothless) Alright, okay. You just gotta kinda angle yourself. No, no… come back down towards me. Come back down—OW!**

The watchers were staring at the screen tense, gripping the armrests of their seats.

 **Hiccup extends his arms and legs, giving himself as much surface area as he can. He angles back towards Toothless as the tumbling dragon WHACKS Hiccup with his wing.**

 **After a few more misses, Hiccup finally GRABS HOLD of the harness and manages to lock in - just in time to pull Toothless out of his dive... barely shy of the treetops. They careen past the wooded cliff and directly into a treacherous slalom course of jutting sea stacks. Hiccup pulls the cheat sheet from his teeth and attempts to check positions. It flaps violently in the turbulence, making it impossible. With no time to think, Hiccup throws it away and steers Toothless' tail on instinct... with perfect intuition. Together, they manage a tight, hair-raising series of split-second turns, making it to the open water, unscathed. Hiccup takes a breath and glances back at the death-defying obstacle course, now safely behind them. He beams, relieved. He sits back and throws his arms up in victory.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **YEEAHHH!**

It was only now that everyone let out their breath. For a moment all was quiet, then… Flynn.

"Were you out of your mind?! You could've died up there!"

"But, -" Hiccup countered, "-it was awesome."

"Yet! You could've died!" argued Jack

"But it was awesome, wasn't it?"

They gave up. "Yeah, it was, it really was…." Hiro reflected.

 **Toothless concurs with a happy SQUEAL and a fireball. Hiccup's glee turn to dread as they fly directly into it.**

 **ON HICCUP'S FACE**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Ah, come on.**

Hiccup pulled a face while the other three doubled in laughter.

 **EXT. BLACK SAND BEACH - SUNSET**

 **Hiccup and Toothless lounge on a sprawling, deserted beach, snacking of freshly caught fish. As Hiccup cooks his over a fire, hair blown back and face covered in ash, Toothless suddenly regurgitates a fish head.**

"Belch!" Flynn gagged. Jack looked weirded out.

"Uh, think I'll pass, thanks."

 **Hiccup smirks with forced politeness.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh… No thanks. (Gesturing to his fish on A STICK) I'm good.**

 **Several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and nipping at each other as they approach Toothless' pile of fish.**

Hiro narrowed his eyes a bit. "Um, are they friendly, or…"

 **One grabs the regurgitated fish head and drags it away.**

"Oh, just hungry."

 **Another attempts to steal it from him. They face off and last fire balls at each other to settle the fight. Hiccup and Toothless watch, amused.**

The four guys were too.

 **That is until... Toothless spots one of his fish leaving the pile. A stealthy Terrible Terror is exposed as the thief. They tug on the fish, and it snaps back into Toothless' mouth. He swallows it back tauntingly.**

The foursome laughed. "Ha-ha," Jack exclaimed, "in your face!"

 **Irate, the little dragon paws at the ground and prepares to blast Toothless. He opens his mouth, the gas hiss comes, and Toothless fires a tiny flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little dragon.**

They laughed even louder now. "Pwa-ha-ha! In your _mouth_ …" Flynn chuckled.

"… _Literally_!" Hiro added, doubling over in laughter.

 **It coughs up smoke and staggers away, looking ill. Hiccup laughs.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?**

 **Hiccup throws the hapless Terror his freshly cooked fish.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Here you go.**

"Aww…"

 **The appreciative little dragon gulps down the meal and approaches Hiccup cautiously. He curls up next to him.**

Hiro's head shot up. "Did the Terror just _purr_?"

 **Hiccup is amazed.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PENSIVE) Everything we know about you guys is wrong.**

"It really is though..." Jack murmured thoughtfully. The others nodded in agreement.

 **Hiccup carefully pets him... sending the Terror into an immediate, blissful sleep.**

 **INT. BLACKSMITH STALL - HICCUP'S CLOSET - NIGHT**

 **HICCUP is lost in thought; his head lies of a desk full of Toothless drawings. Burdened with the weight of the world.**

And the movie paused.

"Wait, what happened?" Hiro looked around unsure; suddenly his gaze fell on Hiccup's face, which had a look of recognition. "Do you know?"

"Yes, uh, no, I don't know what happened, but I now this time – it's the end of my story."

The two older boys cocked their heads at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it was there – um, then – that I fell asleep and found myself here."

"Actually," a voice came from behind them, "Hiccup's only halfway right." The guys turned around and saw the two sisters. Arwen, who'd apparently been the one to speak, went on. "This is where – uh, when – we…" Tauriel coughed and her sister groaned, "Fine, _I_ shot Hiccup with a ball of dream-sand to take him here. We got Hiro just after he came home from the police department; I shot him right as his head hit the pillow. Flynn we took when he was _actually_ asleep, he'd just told, um… someone… his story. And you know for Jack, it was after he agreed to help with the teeth." She looked around at their confused expressions. "Yeah, I know it makes zero sense now, but just you wait. The point is, Hiccup is wrong on the second thing – this isn't the end of his story. From now on, you'll be watching his future – and then all of yours too!"

The guys' mouths flew open. Arwen couldn't help herself.

"DUN, DUN, _DUN!"_

Tauriel shot her a disapproving look. " _Sis_ …"

"What?"

* * *

 **Original A/N:** **We all know I can't fulfill promises but there we go, I promise to at least try and upload another chapter before Christmas. On that note though, we just made the Christmas tree and I'm feeling super festive! Anyway...**

 **Tauriel says I'm making her OOC. And she put a rubber on my nose.**

 ** _She deserves it! XD_**

 ** _Authors notes Mk 2:_** **I love it when a plan comes together… and what are the chances I'd publish this chapter the day I finally put up my Christmas decorations too? But of course the annual holiday cold has come round again (pity me!** **L** **) however, while it is bloody miserable, I should now get a chance to work on my continuation chapters from where Arwen left off.**

 **Happy holidays y'all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Notes Mk 2:_ Sorry this took so long guys! School is killing me with mock exams and the christmas rush isn't helping much either, I'll try to keep updating more regularly but if I'm being honest updates will probably be sporadic and unpredictable ):**

 **Best wishes all the same and happy** **christmas!**

Disclaimer: is in the first chapter

Chapter 8: And at last I see the light

* * *

After a long pause Hiro ventured: "You okay to watch your future, Hiccup?"

"As okay as I'll ever be, I guess… Let's just get this over with…" So the sisters pressed the start button again and went somewhere else, leaving the guys to their own devices.

 **Suddenly, STOICK appears in the doorway.**

The four shrieked (however unmanly it may be).

 **Hiccup jumps and quickly covers up his desk.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Dad! You're back!**

 **He skirts the bench, blocking Stoick's view of Toothless, the prosthetic fin, and other drawings.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Gobber's not here, so...**

 **He strikes an awkwardly casual pose, trying to cover up as much as possible.**

"I hope he bought it, Hiccup, I hope…" Flynn muttered worriedly.

 **STOICK**

 **I know. I came looking for you.**

The guys gaped. "He did?"

 **HICCUP**

 **(CAUGHT) You did?**

 **STOICK**

 **(STERN) You've been keeping secrets.**

They simultaneously paled.

 **Hiccup's legs give out. He slides, dragging the table's contents with him.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I...have?**

 **STOICK**

 **Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?**

"Okay, play it ignorant, maybe he doesn't really know…" Hiro advised the on-screen Hiccup.

 **HICCUP**

 **(IN VAIN) I don't know what you're...**

 **STOICK**

 **Nothing happens on this island without me hearing about it.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh?**

The four shared a look. "Uh-oh."

 **STOICK**

 **So. (BEAT) Let's talk about that dragon.**

"But how can he know?" Jack frantically spluttered, "Are you sure no one's ever followed you?" Hiccup nodded, misunderstanding evident on his face.

 **Blood drains from Hiccup's face.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Oh gods. Dad I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to-**

 **Stoick starts laughing. Big, booming. Hiccup stares, baffled.**

Much like his off-screen counterpart.

"What the…" Hiro murmured confused.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **You're not...upset?**

 **STOICK**

 **What?! I was hoping for this!**

They gaped again. "He was?"

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh...you were?**

 **STOICK**

 **And believe me, it only gets better! Just wait till you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time—**

"Ooh…" the guys groaned, "thank goodness, no…"

 **Hiccup's elated expression sinks.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **\- and mount your first Gronkle head on a spear. What a feeling!**

 **Stoick laughs and smacks Hiccup on the shoulder, sending him into the wall.**

Cue sympathetic winces.

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **You really had me going there, son. All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you!**

Hiro's mouth dropped slightly in mild horror. Flynn face-palmed while Jack put a comforting hand on Hiccup's shoulder. The Viking smiled at him thankfully.

 **Hiccup gets back up, grimacing in the irony of it all.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **And all the while, you were holding out on me! Thor almighty!**

 **Stoick grabs a stool and sits. His massive frame nearly fills the tiny room.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **(RELIEVED) Ahh. With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something**

 **to talk about.**

 **Pregnant pause.**

"Um, no." Hiro rolled his eyes.

 **Hiccup averts his eyes nervously. Stoick adjusts, awkwardly clearing his throat. After a long, uncomfortable silence...**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Oh, I... brought you something.**

 **He presents a horned helmet.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **To keep you safe in the ring.**

"Aww," the three cooed. Hiccup smiled a small smile.

 **HICCUP**

 **(SINCERE) Wow. Thanks.**

 **Hiccup accepts it, looking it over.**

 **STOICK**

 **Your mother would've wanted you to have it. (HEARTFELT) It's half of her breastplate.**

A pause, then…

"Belch!"

"Ugh!"

"Ew!"

"Yuck!"

 **Stoick taps his own helmet and smiles.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know?**

 **Hiccup eyes the mismatched helmets, grimacing.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal.**

"No, did he really say that?" Hiccup groaned, feeling guiltier than ever. The others eyed him sympathetically.

 **Stoick beams with pride. Hiccup squirms. He forces a YAWN.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I should really get to bed.**

The off-screen Hiccup face-palmed. "Now I get why it's a miracle anyone buys anything I say."

 **STOICK** ** _HICCUP_**

 **(Talking over each** ** _(talking over each_**

 **OTHER)** ** _OTHER)_**

 ** _Yes!_** **Good!** ** _Okay._** **Good talk. See you back at the house.**

 ** _We should do this again._** **I'm Great.** ** _Thanks for stopping_**

 **glad I stopped by, I hope you** ** _by. And for the... the uh,_**

 **like the hat.** ** _breast hat._**

The four looked at one another snickering.

 **STOICK**

 **Well… Uh… Good night.**

 **Stoick leaves the room awkwardly, leaving Hiccup looking more burdened than ever.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - AFTERNOON**

 **A Gronkle hovers above the ring, hunting victims as the teen recruits scramble. Astrid ducks behind a barrier to find Hiccup already there. She forces her axe at his throat.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing.**

"Wow, talk about competitive…" someone murmured.

 **HICCUP**

 **Please, by all means.**

 **She darts off, CLOSING FAST on the dragon. The crowd above cheers her on.**

 **VIKING IN CROWD**

 **You got it Astrid!**

 **Hiccup stands and looks around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, Stoick watches keenly, beaming with pride. He locks eyes with Hiccup, giving him a nod of encouragement. Hiccup adjusts his new helmet and forces a half-hearted smile. Unbeknownst to Hiccup, the Gronkle spots him and makes a beeline toward him.**

"Uh-oh…" Flynn drew. Hiccup groaned.

"Aw, man, I can imagine where this is going!"

 **BACK TO ASTRID**

 **... As she catches her breath behind a barrier. She scowls, focused, determined.**

 **ASTRID**

 **This time. This time for sure.**

 **With a FIERCE BATTLE-CRY she LEAPS from cover, axe cocked to throw.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Aaaaaaaaaa...**

 **And as she clears the barriers, she sees that Hiccup has already laid the Gronkle out.**

Cue face-palms.

"That was embarrassing…" Hiro murmured uneasily.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **...aaaaaaauGGGGGHHHHHHHH! No! No!**

 **Hiccup shrugs, as unhappy with the situation as she is.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **NO! NO! SON OF A HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!**

The four looked at the screen with eyes the size of plates. Then…

"Pwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" three voices roared with laughter.

"What-what does that even mean?" Jack managed in-between snickers. Hiccup, who was gaping at the screen, shook his head.

"You honestly don't want to know…"

 **A loud CLACK rings out. From the crowd above, Gothi, the village elder, steps forward, tapping her staff. Everyone lights up excitedly.**

Hiccup paled. "No, no, no, no…"

 **STOICK**

 **Wait! Wait!**

 **HICCUP**

 **So, later.**

 **Gobber snags Hiccup as he attempts to leave.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Not so fast.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I'm kinda late for-**

 **ASTRID**

 **(LIVID) What? Late for what exactly?**

"Good job, now I'll see her in my nightmares." Flynn commented.

 **Stoick holds out his hands to silence the jabbering crowd.**

 **STOICK**

 **Okay quiet down. The elder has decided.**

Hiro face-palmed. "Please don't tell me…"

 **Thrilled, Gobber stands behind Hiccup and Astrid. He points to Astrid as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no' the crowd 'Ooh's.' Gobber then points to Hiccup. The elder nods an affirmative 'yes.' The crowd erupts in cheers.**

"… Oh my, and you walk straight into the trap."

Hiccup winced.

 **Astrid turns a seething, deadly glare on Hiccup.**

 **GOBBER**

 **You've done it! You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!**

 **STOICK**

 **Ha, ha! That's my boy!**

The three looked at Hiccup. "What now?"

 **Hiccup is hoisted onto the recruits' shoulders and carried out to the cheering spectators...**

 **HICCUP**

 **(MASKING PANIC) Heh, Heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so...**

 **EXT. HIDDEN COVE - DUSK**

 **HICCUP**

 **... Leaving.**

"What?! Hiccup, are you serious?!"

"It's the only option I can think of, guys!"

 **We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever.**

 **Toothless is nowhere in sight. Hiccup sets down his basket and opens it up, his head clouded with troubles.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Oh… Man…**

 **SHINK!**

Hiccup squinted at the screen. "What, in Odin's…"

 **Hiccup looks up to the sound of... ASTRID, sitting on the rock right in front of him, sharpening her axe.**

"… FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS!"

The other three paled as well. "No, no, no, this is bad, this is really, really bad…"

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(SHOCKED) Agh! What the- (RECOMPOSING) what are you doing here?**

 **She hops off the rock and back him down, spinning her axe threateningly. Hiccup's eyes dart around nervously, searching for Toothless.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. Especially you.**

Normally, they would've commented on the rudeness but the moment was too tense.

 **Start talking! Are you training with someone?**

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh...training?**

 **She grabs him by his odd-looking harness.**

 **ASTRID**

 **It better not involve... this.**

"Oh, you have no idea…" Hiro murmured to himself, almost ready to bite his nails.

 **HICCUP**

 **I know this looks really bad, but you see...this is, uh...**

 **They hear a RUSTLE coming from the other side of the cove.**

"Uh-oh…"

"Oh, the gods hate me!"

 **Astrid DROPS Hiccup to the ground and sets off to investigate.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(PANICKED) You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits. So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go.**

They all hoped she bought the (let's admit it) pathetic lie.

 **He puts her hand back on his harness, getting her to 'drag him back.' Astrid BENDS Hiccups hand backwards, driving him down.**

No such luck.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **AAAAUUGGGHHH! Why would you do that?!**

 **ASTRID**

 **That's for the lies.**

 **Astrid bounces the hilt of her axe off of Hiccup's laid-out body.**

"OUCH! Man, that's gotta hurt…" The other three nodded in agreement with Jack's observation, wincing themselves.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **And THAT'S for everything else.**

 **Hiccup's YELP is answered with A GROWL, coming from the other side of the cove.**

"Oh no…"

"Seriously?!"

 **Astrid looks up to see... A NIGHT FURY. Toothless pounces toward them, snarling.**

 **HICCUP**

 **(FEEBLE) Oh man.**

"Well, thank you, Hiccup, for summing that up." His off-screen counterpart snapped tensely.

 **She dives onto Hiccup.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Get down! Run! Run!**

 **Astrid pulls her axe, ready to take on Toothless.**

"NO!" the four of them yelled.

 **HICCUP**

 **No!**

 **Hiccup knocks Astrid's cocked axe to the ground, out of reach, then stops Toothless short of crushing her.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No. It's okay! It's okay... (CALMING) She's a friend.**

 **Toothless snorts in disagreement. Astrid is frozen.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(TO ASTRID) You just scared him.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I scared him!? (INTENSE WHISPER) Who is him?**

Jack all but winced. "... And she's mad."

 **HICCUP**

 **Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid.**

 **Toothless growls.**

Jack stated. "... And now he's mad..."

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but he doesn't look happy to make her acquaintance..."

"I wouldn't be either." Flynn stage whispered.

 **Astrid backs away, eyeing Hiccup and Toothless together with pure disgust. She turns and RUNS for the village.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Da-da-da, we're dead.**

"Da-da-da, we're dead." His off-screen counterpart said at the same time, making the other three snort with laughter.

 **Satisfied with Astrid's departure, Toothless turns away with a snort.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(TO TOOTHLESS) Where do you think you're going?**

 **EXT. WOODS - MOMENTS LATER**

 **ASTRID races through the trees. A large shadow overtakes her. She is suddenly SNATCHED into the air. Astrid SCREAMS.**

One would think they heard Hiro and Flynn shriek too - but surely it had only been Astrid screaming...

 **ASTRID**

 **Oh great Odin's ghost, this is it! AAAAAAAAAAAH!**

 **Hiccup and Toothless fly Astrid to the top of a towering pine. It bows and creaks under their weight as Astrid dangles a hundred feet in the air.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup! Get me down from here!**

 **HICCUP**

 **You have to give me a chance to explain.**

"Well, at least she'll listen now that she has no other choice..." Hiro murmured. Hiccup eyes him.

"Don't count on it."

 **ASTRID**

 **I'm not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!**

"Okay, point taken. Now what?"

 **HICCUP**

 **Then I won't speak. Just let me show you.**

Judging by the look on Hiccup's face, the others figured he knew what future-him would do. "What, what are you showing her?"

But - evidently - he was intent on letting them see for themselves.

 **Hiccup extends a hand.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Please, Astrid.**

 **She eyes him and the dragon, then the ground far, far below. After a moment, she swats Hiccup's outstretched hand away and reluctantly climbs over the pedal, lines, and harness. She settles behind Hiccup, avoiding as much contact as possible.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Now get me down.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Toothless? Down. Gently.**

 **Toothless leers mischievously.**

Hiro looked at the others. "Um..."

Hiccup face-palmed, groaning. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!"

Jack was snickering mischievously.

 **He spreads his wings slowly. With a WHOP, they fill with the updraft. Toothless releases the tree, tucks in his legs, and HOVERS in place.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **See? Nothing to be afraid of.**

 **Toothless suddenly LAUNCHES straight upward. Astrid SCREAMS. The acceleration is tremendous. Every downbeat bucks the saddle, heaving them into the sky, doubling their speed like a rocket. Astrid is thrown backward. She SCREAMS and hugs Hiccup for dear life, squeezing the breath out of him.**

"Yet MORE stuff for my nightmares..." Flynn turned to Hiccup.

"Eh, on the plus side she's hugging you."

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon! (Mortified; to Astrid) He's not usually like this. Oh no…**

 **Toothless ROLLS and PLUMMETS toward the coastline far below. Astrid SCREAMS. Toothless rockets over the ocean waves, deliberately dipping them in the froth.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us!**

His off-screen counterpart spluttered something in agreement.

 **Toothless rockets skyward and begins tumbling head over tail.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing you useless reptile.**

"Hey, you said the same!" Hiro grinned.

 **Astrid clamps her hand over her eyes.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing.**

 **Astrid is defeated, her aggressive energy gone. Satisfied, Toothless relents.**

Flynn was incredulous. "All it took was a sorry?"

Jack grinned. "Politeness." *****

 **They level off and head up into the clouds. Astrid opens her eyes again, and looks out over a world she'd never dreamed of. She reaches out and touches clouds, pierces columns ablaze in golden hues, and floats over a vast, alien sky-scape. Her terror is replaced by wonder. She grins, despite herself. Toothless rises above a blanket of clouds...**

 **DISSOLVE TO:**

 **EXT. SKY - NIGHT**

 **...And levels off under a starry sky. They emerge from a blanket of clouds under the dancing Northern Lights, shimmering in ribbons across the vast sky.**

"Wow..."

It was the first thing they managed since the beginning of the scene.

 **Below them, Berk's torches flicker in the inky darkness. The new perspective is breathtaking. Astrid tucks her arms into Hiccup's vest, burying her chin into his shoulder. The moment is not lost on either of them. Hiccup smiles nervously. Toothless climbs past Berk's tallest peaks and heads out over open water, leaving the village lights behind them.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Alright I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing. (BEAT) He's amazing.**

 **Astrid carefully reaches down and pats Toothless' side.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **So what now?**

Groans from the four.

"Way to ruin the moment, Astrid!" Jack snapped.

 **Hiccup groans. It's a problem without an answer.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to kill... (WHISPERED) ... kill a dragon.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Don't remind me.**

"Yeah, please don't..."

 **A strange, unearthly din approaches. Toothless' ear plates suddenly stand on end. Panicked, he abruptly dives, dipping into cloud cover.**

The four leaned forward. "What the..."

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Toothless! What's happening? What is it?**

 **Toothless BARKS at him. 'Quiet!' Suddenly, out of the dense cloud, a Monstrous Nightmare emerges.**

Gasps elicited from the watchers.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Get down!**

 **Hiccup and Astrid duck. The Nightmare calls out. A Zippleback appears to the other side of Toothless, boxing him in.**

 **ASTRID**

 **What's going on?**

 **HICCUP**

 **I don't know. (BEAT) Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud.**

 **Toothless HISSES.**

"What..."

Flynn cut Hiccup. "This is bad, this is really, really bad..."

 **Other dragons, previously invisible in the thick clouds, appear all around them. HUNDREDS of them, all carrying fish and game in their talons.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **(WHISPERED) It looks like they're hauling in their kill.**

 **The Zippleback eyes them ravenously.**

"What does that make you?" Hiro murmured.

 **ASTRID**

 **What does that make us?**

 **The dragons BANK and dive in formation, plummeting through the thickening fog and weaving between towering, craggy sea stacks. They emerge at the base of a massive volcanic caldera, glowing with rivulets of lava.**

Hiccup squinted forward, much like his on-screen counterpart. "The dragon island..." he murmured. "What my dad wouldn't give to find this..."

 **The flock of dragons fall into rank, funneling through a crack, and zipping through a winding tunnel. It gives way to a vast, steamy inner chamber, tiered with pock-y shelves. Dragons of all breeds lay about, nested in hordes. The arriving dragons fly in, dropping the fish and game into a central pit, glowing red and shrouded in mist. Hiccup is amazed.**

 **HICCUP**

 **What my dad wouldn't give to find this.**

 **Toothless peels away from the procession, landing on a small shadowy shelf to keep a low profile. Hiccup and Astrid peek around, taking in the busy hive of sorts. They watch as the food continues to be dropped into the pit.**

"Why are they dumping it in a hole?" Jack asked aloud.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **It's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole.**

"And enter sarcasm at the most inappropriate moment." Hiro _tsk-_ ed. Flynn eyes him.

"Leave the guy alone, it probably happens to all of us."

 **ASTRID**

 **They're not eating any of it.**

 **Last to arrive is a dim-witted Gronkle. It hovers over the pit and regurgitates his paltry contribution - a pathetic little fish. As it falls into the steamy pit, a terrible ROAR rings out. The Gronkle tries to flee, but before it can, a gargantuan dragonhead juts from the steamy pit and SNAPS it out of the air. Swallowing it back whole. Hiccup and Astrid recoil, terrified.**

As did the watchers.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **What is that?**

 **The monstrous beast SNIFFS the air, seemingly aware of them. It nears the ledge where Toothless is hiding... and ROARS. Several dragons take flight in fear.**

"You three, out of there NOW!" Jack ordered worriedly.

 **HICCUP**

 **Alright buddy, we gotta get out of here. Now!**

 **Toothless takes flight, barely evading the monster's snapping jaws. The behemoth dragon lunges for them, snatching a Zippleback out of the air instead. Toothless disappears into the winged exodus as thousands of dragons flee the caldera in fear.**

Cue 'phew's of relief.

 **EXT. HIDDEN COVE - NIGHT - LATER**

 **Toothless glides into the cove and touches down on the moonlit beach.**

 **ASTRID**

 **(Her mind reeling, talking Hiccup's ear off) No, no, it totally makes sense. It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers... and that's their queen. It controls them.**

"She's right!" Hiro suddenly realized, "I knew there was something familiar with the nest!"

 **She leaps off of Toothless and runs toward the village.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Let's find your dad.**

"No!" Hiccup frantically cried.

 **HICCUP**

 **No, no! Not yet. They'll... kill Toothless. (BEAT) Astrid, we have to think this through carefully.**

 **Astrid eyes him, incredulous.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hiccup, we just discovered the dragons' nest...the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?**

 **Hiccup stands firm, resolute.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Yes.**

 **Astrid's taken aback.**

As were 50% of the watchers. **_(AN Mk 2: Arwen and Tauriel, remember?)_**

 **ASTRID**

 **Okay. (BEAT) Then what do we do?**

 **HICCUP**

 **Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Okay.**

 **Astrid PUNCHES Hiccup in the arm.**

The four gasped incredulously. "What could that possibly be for?!"

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **That's for kidnapping me.**

"Fair enough."

"Are you supporting her, Jack?"

 **Hiccup looks to Toothless for support. Toothless SNORTS, dismissive. Astrid grabs him. He braces for another hit. She KISSES Hiccup on the cheek.**

Hiccup blushed as the other three wolf-whistled.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **That's for, everything else.**

 **In the awkward wake of the moment, Astrid hurries off... leaving Hiccup RUBBING his cheek, stunned. Toothless hobbles up, eyeing him.**

 **HICCUP**

 **What are you looking at?**

Thus the intense part of the movie ended with laughter.

* * *

 *** I took that phrase from a video called "Everything great about How to train your dragon" on YouTube.**

 **Original A/N:** **I know that this is late. AGAIN. But everything has been so hectic and we've been traveling back and forth to the capital where half of our relatives and friends are and I'm literally finishing this in the train to there at, what, 8 am? So please forgive me. And from now on when I say I'll post a chapter some-when, add a week to that date, yeah?**

 **Now that that's dealt with, mind that there probably won't be another chapter till about the end of January due to midterms and other stuff I have been neglecting. That, and there will probably be a V-day concert at school and I want to finish mine and Tauriel's dance till then. Speaking of her, she reminds me that it's New Year's Eve and I should greet y'all. So happy new year from us two and may the Stars shine upon the end of your road. (That's from LotR.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Author's Notes Mk 2:_** **Hey there, so the first bit of this chapter is a last message Arwen and Tauriel forwarded to me for you and the guys, (highlighted in *stars*) so after that I'm going to be taking over properly and writing the new chapters (I'm so nervous!) so wish me luck and I hope you guys enjoy. Oh, and Merry Christmas!**

* * *

Disclaimer: ~Jingle bells, jingle bells-new chapter up today! These characters don't-belong to me nor does this great idea!~

Chapter 9: When Dragon Dung Hits the Fan

*The next scene paused itself immediately, as if to announce the sisters' arrival.

"Hi guys," Arwen chirped.

"Sorry for interrupting your movie... again," Tauriel smiled.

"This whole thing -"

"- kidnapping -"

"- has been really extra fun -"

"YAS, for sure!" Tauriel exclaimed with a jump.

"- and it's been amazing meeting you..." Here she made a pause.

"So," Tauriel continued, "we're very -"

"- very -"

"- very -"

"- very -"

"- very sorry -"

"- to tell you -"

"- that we must leave you." they finished together.

The boys looked on surprised and Hiro tentatively raised a hand.

"So, is it all over? Do we all go back home and forget all this?"

"No worries," Arwen hurried to assure, "your night out will continue!"

"Just not with us."

"That's right, sis, the amazingly amazing KitKat816 will be keeping you company in the position of all-powerful master of the remote!"

"Kit, come on in!"*

The massive double doors opened to let in a girl with short brown-you-know-what-to-carry-on-with-tradition-no-one-really-cares-what-she-looks-like-either who practically skips over to stand next to Arwen and Tauriel.

"Hi guy's!" she waved with a crazy smile

*"Before we go," Tauriel spoke, "can we have a hug for goodbye?" So a round of nods and hugs later the sisters bid the guys and Kit goodbye and started walking out. Just before the doors though they turned around.

"And don't forget -"

"- we'll be always watching!"

And then they laughed manically and FINALLY disappeared.*

There was a short pause as they all looked at the door before Jack broke the silence.

"Y'know, I'm gonna miss them" the others nodded in agreement, "Yeah, they're nice" KitKat816 said "but, they wanted to give you guy's a movie night so let's get to it! Like Arwen and Tauriel said, I'm Kitkat816, but just call me Kit, I'm going to be keeping an eye on things from here on out. So shall we get back to Hiccup's movie?"

The boy's shrugged and headed back to their seats as Kit backed into the shadows at the back of the theatre and the movie started up again.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **The grounds have been transformed. Banners and flags flap in the morning sun. Surrounding the ring, a festive crowd had gathered. All of Berk has turned out for the event.**

 **STOICK (ALOUD TO THE CROWD)**

 **Well, I can show my face in public again.**

"Hey!" cried the boys as Hiccup just stared at the screen

 **LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **(PLAYFUL)**

 **If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well... Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training... I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad. Yes! And you know it!**

"Now that's just not cool" Jack huffed

 **(BEAT)**

 **But here we are. And no one's more surprised...**

 **ON HICCUP standing at the entrance to the ring, listening, looking burdened.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **... or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. TODAY, HE BECOMES ONE OF US!**

 **CHEERS and ROARS.** Collective winces from the second audience. **Astrid approaches Hiccup.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Be careful with that dragon.**

 **HICCUP** **(RE: THE ROARING CROWD)**

 **It's not the dragon I'm worried about.**

 **ASTRID (WORRIED)**

 **What are you going to do?**

 **HICCUP**

 **Put an end to this. She eyes him, dubious.** As do the other boys

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I have to try.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **Astrid. If something goes wrong... just make sure they don't find Toothless.**

 **ASTRID (GRIM)**

 **I will. Just promise me it won't go wrong. Hiccup can't. Gobber approaches.**

 **GOBBER**

 **It's time, Hiccup. Knock him dead. Hiccup puts his helmet on and enters the ring.**

"He didn't promise, why didn't he promise?!" Flynn panicked.

 **ON THE TEENS HOOTING and HOLLERING from the stands.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **Show 'em how it's done, my man!**

 **Hiccup locks eyes with Stoick. Stoick nods with a smile. Hiccup returns a half-smile. Takes a deep breath, hoists a shield onto his forearm and selects his weapon from a rack of many… a small dagger.**

 **STOICK (MUTTERED) to GOBBER**

 **Hmm. I would've gone for the hammer. Hiccup turns to face a bolted, heavy door. Takes a deep breath.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I'm ready. The door bolt is raised. The crowd grows quiet** The guy's lean forward, nervous…

 **(BEAT).**

 **BOOM! "** Aah!" **The doors blast open with a stream of sticky fire. Followed by a Monstrous Nightmare, coated in flames. It tears out of its cave like an irate bull as the crowd roars and jeers. It climbs the walls and chain enclosure like a bat, hissing at the provoking crowd and blasting fire. It spots Hiccup and descends; leering and licking the flaming drool from its lips.**

"Oh no this is bad this is very, very bad" Hiro worries, looking ready to start biting his nails.

 **The crowd grows silent, bracing for the big fight. With the Monstrous Nightmare's eyes locked upon him, Hiccup deliberately drops his shield and dagger stepping away from them. The dragon pauses, confused. ON STOICK, also confused.**

 **STOICK**

 **What is he doing? The dragon presses closer, snorting. Hiccup extends his open hand. It snarls.** The boys are on the edge of their seats, worry clear in their faces.

 **HICCUP (WHISPERED)**

 **It's okay. It's okay. The dragon continues to hesitate, focused on... HICCUP'S HELMET. Hiccup realizes, then reaches up and removes it. Taking a breath to acknowledge the point of no return, he tosses the helmet aside. It hits the ground.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **I'm not one of them.**

 **GASPS and MURMURS race through the crowd.**

 **ON STOICK, as all eyes turn to him. He's welling with upset. Hiccup avoids Stoick's glare and remains focused on the Nightmare, holding his hand out. It paces around him, calming down.**

"C'mon Hiccup" Jack murmurs, holding his staff in a death grip.

 **STOICK**

 **Stop the fight.**

 **HICCUP**

 **No. I need you all to see this.**

 **The crowd gets restless.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them.**

 **STOICK**

 **I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!**

 **Stoick whacks his hammer against the iron enclosure, rattling the arena with a terrible reverberating clatter. Spooked, the Nightmare snaps at Hiccup's outstretched hand.** "NO!" **Hiccup YELPS and springs backward. The spell is broken. The Nightmare reacts to Hiccup's sudden movements and blasts another stream of fire. Hiccup SCREAMS and barely dives out of reach.**

 **EXT. COVE - CONTINUOUS**

 **ON TOOTHLESS His ear plates shoot up. Panic flares in his eyes.** The boys don't even react to this, too panicked for the Viking inventor's safety.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - CONTINUOUS**

 **Hiccup scrambles around the ring. The Nightmare pursues, snapping and springing from ground to wall. Stoick pushes through the crowd, rushing to the doorway.**

 **STOICK**

 **Out of my way!**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hiccup!**

 **Astrid wedges her axe under the arena gate and squeezes through.**

 **EXT. COVE - CONTINUOUS**

 **Toothless bounds to the cove walls, clawing them in desperation. It seems he's as trapped as before, but with an BURST of effort he HOOKS his claws over the upper lip of the stone wall.**

"Oh god's no…" Hiccup breathes, eyes wide.

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - CONTINUOUS**

 **A stream of fire narrowly misses Hiccup as he continues to dash around the ring, evading the Monstrous Nightmare. Desperate, he goes to the weapon rack in an attempt to arm himself, but the Nightmare quickly destroys the rack and closes in on him.**

 **EXT. COVE - CONTINUOUS**

 **Toothless tears through the woods, bounding like panther and taking to the air in short bursts.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - CONTINUOUS**

 **Astrid is now in the ring as the Nightmare closes in on Hiccup**

 **ASTRID**

 **Hiccup!**

 **She picks up a hammer and hurls it at the Monstrous Nightmare, hitting it in the head. It turns its attention to Astrid, and begins chasing her. Stoick wrenches the grated door to the arena open and calls through. The Nightmare is only a few feet behind Hiccup.**

 **STOICK**

 **This way!**

 **Astrid makes it through, but the Nightmare BLASTS the doorway, cutting Hiccup off. It pounces on him and prepares to finish him off.** "NO!" **Suddenly, a terrible roar pierces the din.**

 **GOBBER hears a ballistic screech and turns to see…Toothless bounds over the crowd and BLASTS a hole through the chain enclosure. He flies through it and disappears in the boiling smoke.**

 **VIKING**

 **Someone get in there and help him!**

 **The Vikings rush to railings... in time to see a flurry of wings cutting through the dissipating smoke. Toothless and the Nightmare tumble into the clear, locked in a toothy, vicious fight.**

"Yeah! Go Toothless!" came the collective cheer.

 **GOBBER (SHOCKED)**

 **Night fury!**

 **Toothless kicks the Nightmare off and plants himself between Hiccup and it. The Nightmare snarls, trying to circle them. Toothless lunges and ROARS... causing the Nightmare to relent and back away.**

 **To everyone's shock and horror, Hiccup gets to his feet and grabs Toothless protectively.**

 **HICCUP (PANICKED)**

 **Alright, Toothless, go. Get out of here! The crowd is gob-smacked, growing livid.**

 **Hiccup tries to shoo Toothless away in vain. Vikings begin clambering through the enclosure and dropping into the ring.**

 **VIKING**

 **Night Fury!**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Go! GO!**

"Go you stupid lizard!" cried Flynn.

 **Stoick grabs an axe and charges into the arena. Astrid calls out to him, panicked.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Stoick no!**

 **HICCUP**

 **Dad! No! He won't hurt you! The other Vikings surround and attack Toothless. He tosses them aside like rag dolls, his eyes focused on Stoick.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No, don't! You're only making it worse!**

 **Stoick raises his hammer as he charges for Toothless. Toothless ducks and pounces on him. They tumble end over end.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Toothless! STOP!**

 **He pins Stoick and inhales. The familiar hiss of gas builds. Everyone braces...**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **NO!**

"NO!" echoed his off-screen counterpart, the others just staring in horror at the disaster unfolding before them

 **Toothless swallows back the blast and turns to Hiccup, not understanding.**

 **VIKING**

 **Get him!**

 **The crowd rushes him, piling on, and taking Toothless down. Astrid holds Hiccup back.**

 **HICCUP (DESPERATE)**

 **No! Please...just don't hurt him. Please don't hurt him.**

 **Stoick gets to his feet, fuming, shaken. A Viking presents Stoick with an axe. He eyes Toothless a moment, then pushes the axe back into the Viking's hands.**

 **STOICK (FURIOUS)**

 **Put it with the others! His burning glare turns to Hiccup.**

The movie pauses as Hiccup stares at the screen, speechless, terrified. Jack rests a hand on Hiccup's shoulder and Flynn leans over Jack to see him, "I'm sure it's gonna be OK" he tried to re-assure him, "Yeah" Hiro continued "A Night Fury just came out of the blue and protected you, they're gonna want answers, right?"

Shaking his head to snap himself out of it Hiccup looks worriedly at the others "I hope you're right" he lowers his head, "gods I hope your right". They sit for a moment before Hiro hands Hiccup the remote, he takes it with a thankful nod and presses play.

* * *

 ** _Author's notes Mk 2:_** **So, my first official chapter! Is it ok? Any suggestions/pointers are welcome, hope you enjoyed it.**

 **KitKat816**

 **xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Author's Notes Mk 2:_** **Wow! I can't believe all the support on my first chapter! I just want to thank you all so much, all your reviews and comments really mean a lot to me, as for how long it took to update, I'm really sorry, my parents have had my buried under revision notes pretty much 24/7. GCSE's** ** _suck_.** **):**

Disclaimer: Do I own the movies in this story? No. Do I own the idea for this story? No. Do I wish I did? Heck yea but I guess that's just one of life's disappointments.

Chapter 10: To war with Hell

* * *

 **INT. GREAT HALL - DAY**

 **ON HICCUP Being shoved into the dank, dimmed hall. SLAM! The massive doors rattle and echo. Stoick pushes past him. He paces against a backdrop of shadowy tapestries and carved pillars - a legacy of heroes, all peering down in angered judgment.**

The boys in the theatre cringe at the discouraging scene, glancing to their Viking companion who stares at the screen with fearful eyes.

 **STOICK**

 **I should have known. I should have seen the signs.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Dad.**

 **STOICK**

 **We had a deal!**

 **Stoick pauses to say something, but stops short. He SNORTS and resumes pacing, repeating the cycle.**

 **HICCUP (FLUSTERED)**

 **I know we did... but that was before... ughh, it's all so messed up.**

 **STOICK**

 **So everything in the ring. A trick? A lie?**

 **He stomps toward Hiccup. Stops short and points, fighting back words.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I screwed up. I should have told you before now. Take this out on me, be mad at me, but please... just don't hurt Toothless.**

 **STOICK**

 **The dragon? That's what you're worried about? Not the people you almost killed?!**

Jack puts his hand on the skinny boy's shoulder, offering comfort as his on-screen father berates him.

 **HICCUP**

 **He was just protecting me! He's not dangerous.**

 **STOICK**

 **They've killed HUNDREDS of us!**

 **HICCUP**

 **And we've killed THOUSANDS of them! They defend themselves, that's all! They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **There's something else on their island dad...it's a dragon like-**

 **STOICK**

 **-Their island?** A collective "Oh crud" rises from the theatre audience, who stare wide-eyed and panicked as- **He stomps back, pointing an accusing finger.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **So you've been to the nest.**

 **HICCUP**

 **Did I say nest?**

 **Hiccup goes silent, he's said too much.**

 **STOICK**

 **How did you find it?!**

 **HICCUP**

 **No, I didn't! Toothless did, only a dragon can find the island.**

 **Stoick GLARES. A moment passes, then an idea takes form on his face. His eyes flare. Hiccup watches, realizing** -as do Hiro, Jack, Flynn and theatre Hiccup, who begins to mumble things like "No" and "Please don't" as his companions try and calm him- **Stoick stomps toward the doorway.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Oh no. No, Dad, No!**

 **Hiccup chases after him, panicked.**

"Listen to him!" Flynn calls out.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Dad, it's not what you think, you don't know what you're up against! It's like nothing you've ever seen!**

 **He grabs Stoick by the arm, tugging with all his might. He has no effect whatsoever.**

"C'mon Hiccup…" Jack pleads, his bare foot bouncing rapidly with nerves.

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Dad. Please. I promise you that you can't win this one.**

 **Nothing.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **No! Dad, No, gah! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME?!**

 **STOICK throws Hiccup off of him, SWATTING him to the floor. There's an icy stillness** –as the audience (sans Hiccup who is too shocked to do more than stare) gasps- **Hiccup stares back at him, stunned.**

 **STOICK**

 **You've thrown your lot in with them. You're not a Viking.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **You're not my son.**

 **Stoick pushes through the door, leaving Hiccup alone, devastated.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D) (CALLING OUT) Ready the ships!**

 **EXT. GREAT HALL – CONTINUOUS**

 **Stoick staggers on the steps, breaking inside.**

 **EXT. DOCKS/OPEN SEA - DAY**

 **Broken-down catapults and trebuchets are bundled up and lowered from the cliffs. Below on the docks, Vikings load the heavy artillery into the hulls of waiting ships. Children and the elderly gather on the walkways to wave apprehensive farewells to the departing warriors.**

 **Lastly, Toothless is loaded aboard Stoick's ship, chained down to a palette, muzzled, and restrained with a weighty neck ring. He looks exhausted, miserable.**

 **Stoick crosses to the bow as the ship pushes off and joins the amassed armada of ships adrift in the harbor.**

 **Stoick's brow is furrowed, all warmth drained away. He turns west and glares at the horizon with cold determination.**

 **STOICK**

 **Set sail! We head for Helheim's Gate.**

 **He then notices HICCUP watching from his familiar, cliff-side perch beyond the village. Their eyes meet, full of hurt and regret. Hiccup slowly shakes his head in warning. Stoick breaks the stare and turns to Toothless, fuming.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Lead us home, Devil.**

 **ON HICCUP**

 **Watching. He's powerless to stop what is happening, but won't leave.**

The movie is paused as Hiccup stares forward in shock, he had been disowned, or would be when this was over, his best friend is good as dead and his father is going to die trying to defeat an unbeatable foe. Flynn gets up to stand in front of him as Jack's hand returns to the Viking boy's shoulder and Hiro holds his arm.

"Man, I'm so sorry" Jack says as Hiccup bows his head, Flynn kneels down on his haunches, putting his hand over Hiccup's as he tries to talk to him.

"Hey, kid, look at me. It's gonna be alright." Hiccup raises his head a bit, his eyes slightly glassy as Hiro continues, "It's ok Hic, you'll think of something, it'll all work out-" "How?" the devastated boy interrupted, "How is this gonna get better?! My Dad just disowned me, my best friend is being held captive and half the village is gonna get killed trying to take out that… that monster!"

Tears begin to gather in the Viking runt's emerald eyes as he slumps forward, utter hopeless depression rolling off him in waves.

Suddenly, Kit steps out of the shadows looking somber, the three other boys turn to her angrily.

"You!" Jack snarls as he stands from his seat, "How could you and those other girls do this?!" "Why would you make him watch something like that?!" Hiro continues as he stands on his seat.

"Hiro was right" she announces, making the boys pause as Hiccup hopefully raises his head, "Things will work out, and I know it must be hard for you to watch this, but please calm down. I can't tell you anything else but I promise it will work out, please just sit down and watch." She pleads gently before turning on the spot and disappearing with a loud crack.

The boys sit in silence for a moment before turning to face their Viking friend. "Do you want to carry on?" Flynn gently asks, Hiccup sits with his head bowed in contemplation for a minute before giving a determined nod. Flynn copies him and returns to his seat. As the picture starts to move again, Jack and Hiro return to comfortingly holding the boy's arms as he gives a small, grateful smile before turning back to the screen.

 **DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CLIFFS - LATER**

 **ON HICCUP Still standing there. The ships have cleared the horizon. CRANE UP to reveal Astrid is standing behind him. She approaches cautiously and stands beside him in silence.**

 **ASTRID**

 **It's a mess.**

 **Hiccup doesn't respond.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **You must feel horrible. You've lost everything. Your father, your tribe, your best friend.** The three other boys glare at the seemingly tactless blonde

 **HICCUP**

 **Thank you, for summing that up.**

 **HICCUP (CONT'D)**

 **Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods. It would have been better for everyone.**

Hiro squeezes the older boys arm, reminding him they are all there for him as he looks down sadly

 **ASTRID**

 **Yep. The rest of us would have done it.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **So why didn't you?**

 **Hiccup just shakes his head - he really doesn't know. Astrid's eyes glimmer. She wants something.** Jack freezes for a moment, wondering what this girl is planning.

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **Why didn't you?**

 **HICCUP**

 **I don't know. I couldn't.**

 **ASTRID**

 **That's not an answer.**

 **HICCUP (BECOMING IRATE)**

 **Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?** Flynn and Hiro glance at each other as they notice her carefully thought out wording

 **ASTRID**

 **Because I want to remember what you say right now.**

 **HICCUP** **(ANGRY, LOUD)**

 **Oh for the love of - I was a coward! I was weak. I wouldn't kill a dragon!** The boys moved to comfort him before-

 **ASTRID**

 **You said "wouldn't" that time.** They pause as they realize she's right.

 **HICCUP (BLOWS UP)**

 **Whatever! I wouldn't! Three hundred years and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon!**

 **(BEAT)**

 **ASTRID**

 **First to ride one, though.**

 **Hiccup blinks.** As does his off-screen self **He never looked at it that way before.**

 **ASTRID (CONT'D)**

 **So...**

 **HICCUP (REALIZING)** as does his off-screen counterpart

 **...I wouldn't kill him, because he looked as frightened as I was.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **I looked at him, and I saw myself.**

 **Astrid turns to face the open sea.**

 **ASTRID**

 **I bet he's really frightened now.**

 **(BEAT, PROVOKING)**

 **What are you going to do about it?**

The boys lean forward

 **HICCUP**

 **Probably something stupid.**

 **ASTRID**

 **Good. But you've already done that. "She's sorta right there" Flynn admits**

 **(BEAT)**

 **HICCUP (REALISATION FORMING)**

 **Then… something crazy.**

 **He runs for the village as Astrid smiles** along with the now excited boys in the cinema.

 **ASTRID**

 **That's more like it.**

 **EXT. OPEN SEA/DRAGON ISLAND - DAY**

 **The armada coasts toward a shroud of heavy fog, hung like drapes from a low-hanging, ominous sky. The ships enter, one by one. Visibility drops immediately.** As do the boys spirits, as they become nervous for the dragon and villagers on board.

 **Flanking ships becomes ghosts. The armada disappears, drawn into the blinding mist, which creates a complete whiteout. Nothing remains but the eerie creaking of wood on water.**

 **ON STOICK at the bow of his ship. He taps his fingers on the gunwale, then looks back at Toothless impatiently. Weighed down with chains, the Night fury seems unresponsive.** Hiccup looks at his restrained friend sadly.

 **STOICK**

 **Sound your positions. Stay within earshot.**

 **Shouts pour in from all directions.**

 **VIKING #1**

 **Here**

 **VIKING #2**

 **One length to your stern**

 **VIKING #3**

 **On your starboard flank**

 **VIKING #4**

 **Three widths to port**

 **VIKING #5**

 **Ahead, at your bow**

 **VIKING #6**

 **Haven't a clue**

The boys let out a weak chuckle

 **ON STOICK straining into the fog as the calls continue. Massive, jagged sea stacks begin to emerge, threatening to rip the ships to shreds.**

 **Gobber approaches him, speaking under his breath.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Listen, Stoick... I was overhearing some of the men just now and, well, some of them are wondering what it is we're up to here -not me of course, I know you're always the man with the plan- but some, -not me- are wondering if there is in fact a plan at all, what it might be?**

The teens couldn't help but snicker a little at the peg-legged Vikings' transparent cover story

 **STOICK (STONE-FACED, DETERMINED)**

 **Find the nest and take it.**

 **GOBBER**

 **Ah. Of course. Send them running. The old Viking fallback. Nice and simple.** *Copious amounts of eye-rolling*

 **STOICK turning to face his friend, notices** **that Toothless' ear plates are at the alert, quietly reacting to inaudible sounds**

 **STOICK**

 **Shh…**

The audience tenses again. **Stoick crosses to the stern of the ship and grabs the tiller, moving the helmsman out of the way.**

 **STOICK (CONT'D)**

 **Step aside.**

 **Stoick pulls the ship into a turn, covertly following Toothless' head movements. The ship barely misses a jagged outcrop that suddenly appears out of the soupy fog.**

 **VIKING**

 **Bear to port.**

 **The order is called out from ship to ship. CRUNCH! The bow barely makes it past another sea stack.** The boys are leaning forward intently. **STOICK continues to follow Toothless' cues, undeterred.**

 **EXT. TRAINING GROUNDS - DAY**

 **Hiccup raises the bolt on the Monstrous Nightmare's pen.**

 **FISHLEGS**

 **If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the Gronkle.**

 **Hiccup turns to see his fellow recruits, watching him with folded arms. Tuffnut steps forward with a scowl.**

 **TUFFNUT**

 **You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon.**

 **(BEAT)**

 **It's me.** There's a collective snort of laughter from the off-screen group

 **HICCUP**

 **Uh...**

 **TUFFNUT is pushed out of the way by SNOTLOUT…**

 **SNOTLOUT**

 **I love this plan.**

 **HICCUP**

 **I didn't...**

 **…** **Who is then shoved aside by RUFFNUT…**

 **RUFFNUT**

 **You're crazy.**

 **(SULTRY)**

 **I like that.**

 **…** **Who is then pulled away from the inventor by ASTRID**

 **ASTRID**

 **So, What's the plan?**

 **Hiccup smiles, glowing in the support of the other recruits.**

As do the boys in the theatre, Hiccup has a plan and they can all tell that come hell or high water, nothing will stop him from saving his people and his best friend.

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes Mk2: _****Hope the long chapter makes up for the long wait a little.**

 **I'll be doing my best to update more regularly from now on, Hiccups part should be done** ** _before_** **2019 for those who were concerned.**

 **Again, sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoyed the chapter,**

 **Best wishes,**

 **KitKat816**

 **xx**


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